Articuno Island
by Faeore
Summary: cont'd from True Colors of Prussian Now 4 years in the future, Arti recieves word saying her mother is alive, but is it possible? MUAHAHAH IT'S DONNNNNNNE It took me a few years but it's COMPLETED. As soon as this pos lets me upload...
1. Articuno Island - Part 1

Articuno Island  
  
Writen by: Arti Cuno  
  
Part One: A Stalker? Trip to Indigo Plateau; begining of a new "adventure"  
  
Note: This isn't completely following any of my other story lines (mainly, Gary is part Arcanine now.). This story line is slightly in the future (Ash is now 15 so it's 5 years from the time her left pallet) I've always said Gary seems older then Ash so I've set Gary's age as 17. (making Arti about 16, Renku 17, and Nakako 19) There's a new character Ariikuiyo (said: "airy kwee yo" he's about seven). Any other info that's needed will be given in notes at the top of the story part ^.^

* * *

Indigo Plateau, home of the Pokémon League and the Elite Four Pokémon Trainers. It was still a few weeks before Indigo Stadium would be in use for the League battle when up and coming trainers try to make their way to the top. But some trainers had already started coming and training, prepairing for the biggest challenge of their training careers.  
  
Amoung the trainers already there were some returning from previous defeats and others who were back for personal reasons, such as defending their titles. Ash Ketchum (who was on time for once in his life, heck, he was EARLY! *gasp!*) was one of the returning trainers but not to defend a title, of the three times he'd tried to get to fight the elite, he'd only got to them once and lost at the last match between himself and Lance.  
  
"Cuuuno?" a huge Articuno asked, waddling down the streets of the village near Indigo Stadium with it's trainer and her friends in tow. "Cuuu."  
  
Its trainer patted him and stroked his feathers. "What's wrong?" she asked. "You wanna go off on your own and find other birdie pokémon to chatter with?" She pinched his cheek making him give her an annoyed look. "Get going then!"  
  
The bird took off cooing happily leaving his trainer and her friends behind.  
  
"So, wha' we doin' now an'how?" one guy asked. He flipped part of his bright red hair back out of his face and snorted, blowing smoke out his nose. It wasn't that he was smoking that caused the smoke, he, Renku, was actually part charmander. The tail swishing back and forth behind him was a dead give away.  
  
The other person with the Articuno's trainer was taller by far then any of the group, and looked to be older. Nakako, was also part pokémon. Though he was part Nidoking, in the sense he had the horn, ears, spikes on his back, and tail. Even his skin was darker, but it had been like that before the "accident" that changed him to the way he was.  
  
The Articuno trainer, the imfamous, Arti Cuno, turned to face Renku and sighed. "Oh, shush... I told you I'm going to the stadium. Nakako said he'd come with me and you... you just came along being your nosey self and not keeping yourself out of my affairs..."

Arti spun about on a heal of her shoe, causing feathers to fall out of her hair she'd turned so fast, and continued off with Nakako close behind. She folded her wings behind her and picked up her tail so it wasn't dragging on the ground behind her.

"So..." Nakako said, putting an arm around Arti. "You feel like a little warm up match before you beat the Elite... AGAIN this year..."

Arti sighed and blushed. "Sure." she said, annoyed with Nakako cuddling her. "And the Elite are the only challege my birds have thats worth their time. You know Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, and all the others are at such high levels simple gym battles aren't enough for them." 

"True," Nakako agreed as they entred the stadium. "How many pokémon each?" he asked, kissing her on the cheek as he left to go to the opposit side of the field.  
  
"Two." Arti replied and took a poké ball from her belt. "And no super powered pokés either! I'm working with my babies here."  
  
Arti patted the poké ball and pointed to the sticker on it showing that it was a baby pokémon. Nakako nodded in agreement to use a weaker Pokémon. "This should be good enough.." he decided, throwing out his poké ball first. "Go, Nidorino!"  
  
Arti smirked and threw out a pokéball of her own, "Go, Blizzard!"  
  
A fluffy blue Articuno chick came out of the ball and yawned. "Cuuno?" he asked, looking about.  
  
From the other side of the field Nakako fell over to the ground and groaned. "You've got ANOTHER Articuno chicken?" He noticed Arti looking as if she was going to explode at the word "chicken". "Um, er, chick I meant, sorry, Renku is rubbing off on me a bit."  
  
Arti patted the baby bird and gave it a push onto the field. "Blizzard is one of three chicks this time." she explained, watching the chick tremble and chrip at Nidorino. "The other two are Glacier and Snowflake. But enough chit-chat, Let's see if I can get this chicky to learn ice beam."  
  
Nakako nodded. "Nidorino, go easy on the chicken-"  
  
"CHICK!!!"  
  
"Er, right, chick... But don't let it beat you! Tackle attack!"  
  
"Blizzard, plume storm!"  
  
"Plume storm...?" Nakako repeated.  
  
Blizzard started flapping his stubby "wings", if they could be called that, and sending a storm of his feathers about making it impossible for Nidorino to see where the bird was.  
  
"Peck!"  
  
Blizzard waddled up beside the enraged Nidorino and fluttered onto his back. "Articuno cuu!!" the bird screeched and started pecking the pinkish pokémon in the back of the head, making it even more angry. Nakako noticed Nidorino's rage starting to take over and knew it would hurt Blizzard if he didn't get the baby bird out of there.  
  
"Nidorino! Stop!" Nakako ordered and ran onto the field, grabbing Blizzard away as Nidorino threw his head back stabbing the bird in the side with it's horn.  
  
Arti teleported from where she was to where the raging pokémon was and pounded it over the head. "You monster!!" She screamed. "What are trying to prove by doing what you did?!"  
  
Nakako pulled a pokéball from his belt and called back Nidorino as it started to charge at Arti. "I'm so sorry, Arti." he said, handing the injured bird to her. "My Nidoran just evolved and he's been a bit unruley, I didn't think he'd be like this though."  
  
Arti cuddled her bird and looked at the injury. "It's alright. He'll be okay. I just have to get him to the poké centre so Joy can look after him."  
  
Nakako nodded and kissed Arti on the forehead though she seemed like she didn't really want him to. "I'll catch up with you there later... I've got something I've got to go do."  
  
As the two went their separate ways neither noticed someone watching from the shadows by the nearby bleachers. The shadow figgure watched as Arti left then followed her without her knowing it.

* * *

Arti sighed as she waited for Joy to come back from looking after her pokémon. Arti was kneeling on a chair leaning on her elbows on the back of it, looking out a window at the trainers going back and forth the streets. Some talking, some looking in the windows of the stores, and other things. She sighed and turned her head looking back at the entrance of the pokémon centre. She smiled as she noticed the person she was hoping to see come in the door.  
  
"Hey, Beautiful." the person said as he walked over to where Arti was and sat down beside her. "I've been looking all over for you, last place I expected to see you was here."  
  
He pulled Arti onto his lap and cuddled her. Arti cuddled back, playfully tugging his fluffy tail and sighed.

"Blizzard was hurt, I hadda bring him here." she replied. "Nakako's nidorino was on the war path and tried to kill my baby birdie. Why were you looking for me anyways? I though we were supposed to meet at noon for a dinner break." 

"It's past noon, has been for nearly half an hour, I was getting worried."  
  
Arti checked her watch and groaned. It was 12:27pm, she'd lost track of time waiting for Joy to tell her if Blizzard was okay or not. "Sorry, Gary." she sighed again. "I wasn't watching the time I guess. If you want I can just get Joy to call me when I can pick up Blizzard and we can go now."  
  
One of Gary's arcanine ears twitched and he smiled down at Arti who looked slightly upset/worried. "We can wait until you know if your "birdie" is okay. We'd probably run into the dinner time rush anyhow." he paused and poked Arti's side then ruffed her hair. "Hey, cheer up. Blizz'll be fine."  
  
"I know." she absently said. "It's not only that bothering me. Things seem odd, I can't explain it really. There's something out of place, like an imbalance of some type..."  
  
Gary stood up, picking up Arti at the same time and swung her around in a circle then kissed her. "Ahh, Another adventure is about to break loose?" he laughed. "And just when I thought I was getting too old for this can could finally settle down a bit."  
  
Arti's expession turned from worried to "I don't know you..." her eyebrows were raised, eyes slitted and she was smirking slightly. "Remind me to hurt you later." she joked, even if her voice didn't show she was joking.  
  
"Forepl-?"  
  
Gary was cut off as Arti put her hand over his mouth. "Oh, hush... Last we need is everyone staring at us."  
  
"Someone is already staring..." Gary pointed out, looking to his left where someone hiding amoungst a group of people was watching him and Arti. "And by the sounds of it that person has some kind of tape recorder, cell phone, something, that he's talking into cause he's whispering to himself..."  
  
Arti raised and eyebrow and jumped down from Gary's arms. "Maybe we should leave then... I don't like people staring at me, they usually do when they see the wings and tail but I don't think thats why this guy is. I'll find Joy and tell her I'll be back for Blizzard later."  
  
Arti went over to the counter where there was a line up of people with pokémon to be healed. She went right to the head of the line and told Joy to call her when she could get Blizzard, only taking a few seconds, but even those few seconds seemed to make some of the people mad in the line.  
  
"Hey! What makes you think you should get special treatment, freak?!" one person yelled out. "You think just because you're a gym trainer you can jump line?"  
  
Arti muttered something but ignored the loud mouth, he had a persian in his arms so she figgured he was a stuck up type since most persians seemed to have that type of attidude. "Like pokémon, like trainer..." she growled, walking out the door with Gary at her side and the strange person that had been staring at them following close behind.

* * *

It was about midnight by the time Arti and Gary arrived back at the place there were staying while at Indigo Plateau. After they had left the poké centre they'd lost the person that had been chasing them for a while but he showed up again later durring the day. They'd simply ignore him and went on as if he wasn't there though. As far as they were concerned there was nothing they had to hide. Once they picked up Blizzard from the poké centre around 9pm, they had gone to round up all of Arti's articuno that were flying about.  
  
"So, what you feel like doing now?" Arti yawned, flopping backwards onto the couch in the room. "I don't feel like going to bed just yet..."  
  
Gary sat on the side of the couch and stroked Arti's cheek. "Well, I feel like going to bed personally. You can stay up if you want though, my little angel."  
  
"If you're going then I will too..." Arti sighed, getting up only to fall onto the bed yawning. "I wonder what happened to talk stalker... I've got a feeling he'll probably show up again..."  
  
Gary nodded, "Probably as soon as we go out tomorrow he'll b-" Gary turned to the door. There was a quite knocking on it then it opened.  
  
"Arti!!" the person that came in yelled happily then ran over to where Arti was face down on her bed. "You're finally back!"  
  
Arti groaned and rolled over. The little kid that ran in the door tackled her. "Arii..." Arti sighed. "Go back to bed... I know you probably aren't tired but I am..."  
  
Gary picked up Ariikuiyo off Arti's stomach and set him on the floor. The kid was small for his age, and skinny as a rail, unlike what the pokémon in his genes usually was, kind of fat. He was part Marril, he had the ears and tail of a marril but no one knew how he came to be like that, he wasn't tested on that anyone knew of, and he had been born like that, or so the person that dumped him off on Arti had said. Arii was six when he was left with Arti and Gary, Arii's mother had abandoned him, and the people that had been looking after him couldn't stand having him around anymore. Their house had been burned twice in three years because the people in their town wanted to run them out of it. The family learned about Arti and her being part pokémon also so they thought it best to get rid of their problem and throw it on her.  
  
"Arrrtiiiii, Garrryyyyy" Arii whined, climbing back up onto the bed. "I wanna stay with yooouuu..."  
  
He latched onto Arti, his arms around her stomach and held on tight. "If you let me stay with you I'll be quite, I'll sleep on the couch so you and Gary can-"  
  
"Okay okay!" Arti cut in, her eyes opening wide at what the seven year-old was about to say. "You can stay here I guess, ask Gary..." Arti yawned, rolled over slightly, and fell asleep.  
  
Garry grinned. "Sure kid, I don't care."  
  
Gary picked up Arii and hugged him. He actually liked having Arii around, and he knew Arti liked him being around too, they treated him as if he was their own son most of the time, and he acted as if he was too. People usually gave them strange looks not only cause they were all part of some pokémon, but because if Arti and Gary were Arii's real parents they'd have only been about 9 and 10 when he was born, which was slightly impossible at the time.  
  
Gary set Arii back on the bed. Arii hopped down and started to go over to the couch. He stopped and his Marril ears twitched. "Sounds like theres a storm coming..." he said, looking worried. "I don't like storms..."

Gary was already laying back beside Arti and glaced over to the half water mouse who was holding his tail and giving the "puppydog eyes" treatment. "You wanna come sleep here then?" Gary patted the bed between him and Arti.  
  
Arii jumped in the air for joy then scrambled onto the bed and laid back, copying how Gary was laying. Again Arii's ears twitched. "Sounds like someone outside by the window now..." he said, sitting up.  
  
There was a rumble of thunder from the approaching storm, then after a few seconds a flash of light and another rumble. Arii clung to Gary. "I think I saw something!!" he yelped, pointing to the window.  
  
Gary sat up, and waited for another flash to light up outside, he'd already turned all the lights in the room off so the lightning would have to work as lighting. As the next flash showed up there seemed to be nothing. "There, nothing. You must be seeing things you're so tired. Lay down and go to sleep, Arii." 

"Where-? I know there was something..." Arii looked confused, but laid back down. "Maybe I am just tired..." Arii yawned and cuddled upto Arti, falling asleep instantly.


	2. Articuno Island - Part 2

Articuno Island 

Writen by: Arti Cuno 

Part Two: Stalker Revield! Riddles Only a Drunk Could Solve?! 

Dawn the next day, Gary was up and sitting out on the couch watching TV. Or more, he was just listening to it somewhat and kicked back half asleep with his hair flopped over in his face. He'd been awake most of the night cause of the storm since Arii kept waking up screaming "AHH!! It's gonna get me!!" The little guy was scared to death of lighning, mainly because being part marril meant him being weak against electricity. Already he could hear other trainers getting up to start training, most he figgured were getting ready for the competitions to start later that day and wanted to get in last minute experience for their pokémon. Arti, however, was being her usual "lazy ass" self as Gary had said to her before, many times, and was still in bed, Arii too with his arms latched onto her around her waist. 

The door to the room suddenly flung open and Renku fumbled though, looking like he'd gotten into the alcohol or something he was stumbling so badly. "'Ey..." was all her said and half waved to Gary. Gary nodded a hello and watched as renku went over to where Arti was sleeping. 

"Look out..." Gary muttered to himself, waiting for a scream. 

Renku snuck onto the bed on all fours, getting in Arti's face. "'EH, BIRDIE, BIRDIE, BIRDIE!!" he called out, causing her to snap up and practically fall out of bed. Arii sat up and grabbed back onto Arti. "Didn' invite m' t' bed wit' ya? Aww... I was hopin' y' would h've..." 

Gary cringed looking away for a second. When he looked back, Arti had punched Renku square in the nose and now had him by the hair holding him an arm's lenght away. 

"Don't EVER do that again..." Arti growled, realizing the poor bugger was so drunk he didn't realize what he was doing. "Next time I'll break yer nose and chuck you out the frickin' window!!" 

She got out of bed, grabbed Renku by the ass of his pants and by the collar of his coat, and carried him all the way to the exit where she threw him out, kicking him in the rear at the same time. "And stay out!" she screeched, slamming the door.

"He never saw that coming I'll bet." Gary remarked, seeming stunned by what just took place. "Well, he deserved it I suppose, you won't even let me near you in bed most of the time..." 

Gary grinned mischeviously, Arti simply groaned. "Behave." She walked over to where Arii was, wide eyed and looking as if he was paralyzed. "Come here, baby." She smiled, opening her arms for him to come over to her so she could pick him up. 

Arii climbed into Arti's arms, still looking shocked. "What was Renku doing??? He was acting like Gary does when he wants to get you in bed." 

Arti's expression instantly changed to pure shock while Gary fell off the couch and was head first into the floor. "I'm not like that..." Gary muttered. "Even if I was Arti's never willing to- OW!" 

Arti's foot seemed to suddenly take control of itsself and kick Gary in the side. "Shut up or it might not be as easy a kick next time, love." 

Arii snicked. "Can I go get changed and all that other crap I gotta do in the morning then go out and battle my mariruri with some people?" he tried to my a pityful face but kind of backfired making him look more like he was in pain for some reason or another. 

"Okay, I guess." Arti sighed, letting Arii down. He jumped in the air a couple times, danced about the room and left after taking the poké ball Arti had given him when he first started living with her. 

The Mariruri was a marril when he first got it, he loved it to death and was always training it, usually on Renku who hated water with a passion. After only three or four months the marril evolved. Renku's only comment was "Great a bigg'r bubble blow'r. As if the kid wasn't bad enough." That comment had cause him the pain of a broken nose, Arti had flung a cupboard door in his face since he'd been rummaging for food at the time. 

Gary, now off the floor and cuddling Arti, sighed. "You getting dressed?" he smirked evilly, rubbing her side though her night dress. 

"Stop it." she snapped, pushing him away. "I'm going down to stadium in a few minutes, you and your hormones can go now so I don't have to you clinging to me all the time." 

Gary raised his eyebrows. Arti wasn't sounding at all like herself, the usually chipper, but violent (when it came to putting up with Renku anyhow) Arti was being more like a krabby then anything. "Whats wrong my birdie?" he asked, pulling her back to him. "Something's bothering you." 

Arti tried to pull away but was no match for someone stronger and taller (by about 5 inches) then her. "It's nothing." she muttered. 

"Don't give me that, something's bothering you." Gary insisted. "Was it Renku? Or did I do something tha-" 

"It's not you." Arti cut in. "And it's not Renku, or anyone really..." 

"Then what is it?" 

Arti sighed and leaned against her love. "It's a dream I keep having. I know it means something but I don't know what... It's not meant to be taken litterally, but I dunno how else to take it." 

Gary picked Arti up, and sat on the side of the bed with her on his lap. He kissed her forehead. "Feel like sharing with me?" 

"Sure.. I suppose... Well, it starts off with me standing in what seems like nowhere, everything is dark, no lighting at all. Then some man, I couldn't see him, it was still dark, comes to me and starts talking in riddles then laughs and leaves. Next thing I know I'm on an island, in the middle of nowhere, on a cliff. Flying by is an articuno, none of my cunos, and another odd bird, it has a white head that fades to a light blue body. While I'm looking at the bird someone cames behind me, I don't get to see who, and pushes me off the cliff. I try to fly but can't for some reason." 

Arti paused for a moment and snuggled Gary. "I know I fall and hit the water, but I dunno why I was pushed from a cliff, it's all fuzzy to me anyhow, and my head is throbbing." 

"My poor chickie." Gary teased, ruffling her feathers/hair. "You'll live. But you should get ready, we've got to get down to the opening cerimonies at Indigo Stadium in a bit." 

* * *

Indigo Stadium, two hours later. 

"Here were are, again for another meeting at the Indigo Stadium!" an old man declaired at a podium with a mic in fron of him as he talked to everyone in the stands and the trainers lined up before him. "All of these fine trainers before me have earned a minimum of eight badges from certified pokémon league gyms and are now here to compete for the change to be called the world's greatest pokémon master and battle the elite four pokémon trainers." 

Arti yawned as she and Gary stood behind the man why was standing talking. Arti, being the only person known to own a moltres, (let alone a FLOCK of them) was responcible for this year's torch lighting. Her moltres simply had to fly up to the central torch, light it, and land among the crowd to give them all a change to see the legendary pokémon and the mascott of the pokémon league in the flesh, freathers, whatever it should be called. 

"And now we are proud to present for the first time ever, a real moltres and it's trainer who are here to light the torch which will burn the whole time the tournament is taking place! Let's here it for the Prussian Gym trainer Arti Cuno and her moltres!" 

The crowd applauded but the noise was so tremendous Arti's ears hurt. The people in the stands were going nuts, the trainers below her on the ground were making just as much of a noise, anxiously waiting to see moltres. 

"Go, Moltres!" Arti called out, throwing out a ruby and silver poké ball. Each of her first legendary pokémon had expensive poké balls, all half silver and some other gem stome or precious metal, her Articuno, who almost never went in a poké ball, had a ball of saphire, and zapdos a ball made of amber. 

Moltres circled about in the sky a few times, waiting for orders. "Moltres, light the torch on top the stairs!" 

The bird flew over to the torch, pertched on the rim of it, facing the crowd then let out a screech as it heated up the flames on its wings which ignited the gas going to keep the torch burning. The stunned crowds suddenly became as loud as they had been before the bird was released, cheering and throwing streamers into the air, ballons were released, and other various things. 

Moltres flew down to the ground where the trainers who were at the stadium to try and become pokémon masters were and waddled about letting them all look at him. He seemed to know he was special and looked stuck up about it. 

"Glad you aren't like that bird." Gary smiled, hugging Arti. "Glad you ain't like that damned bird Articuno either, man, he's untamable by anyone but you, he BIT me when I first tried to touch him..."

Arti snorted. "He doesn't take well to people usually, he's protective of me anyways... But, we should be getting ready to go see where our first battles will be at." 

Arti called back her moltres and put the poké ball on her belt. 

"Yeah, I guess." Gary agreed, looking about suspiciously. "Kinda odd that person following you before isn't around, ya know..." 

Gary put an arm around Arti. "Guess he decided to bug off for now or something." 

Arti shurgged. "Suppose so, anyways, enough laggin' about, let's go see about where our first battles will be at." 

As Arti and Gary left the stage the person that had been following them before imerged from the shadows and took chase to them again. 

*** 

After finding out where their first battles were going to be, Arti and Gary had gone to watch the other people who were currently fighting. Over the past 5 years the stadium had been added onto and now there were four new fiends, Air, Fighting, Ghost, and Fire. The Air one was totally new and this year was the first year it would be in use. Arti had been the one to insist on it until it was finally built. The "field" was really abaove ground level. There were platforms where the trainers could stand, and a few places suspended from poles coming up from the ground so that flying pokémon could land or "idiot trainers", as Arti had said,could have non-flying pokémon stand on. 

Arti's first battle was going to be on the fire field, similar to the water field only lava replaced where water would be in the water field. Gary's first battle was on the air field, something he was dreading since he didn't have many flying pokémon, Arti had offered her zapdos to him but he couldn't help but imagin the bird trying to zap him and not listening at all. 

"So, what field are we going to anyways...?" Arti asked, taking a poké ball from Gary's belt and letting out his arcanine. "And can I borrow Arcy here? He's so cute and hell knows he can't fly, so he's no good to you right now." 

Arti hopped on Arcanine's back, riding it like a horse. "Fine..." Gary groaned, noticing Arcanine seemed to like being out and about for the first time in nearly a week. "But you gotta let me use one of your birds, preferably one that won't EAT me..." 

Arti pulled a poké ball from her belt. "How about Cuno? He's usually nice. Unlike Articuno who'll probably swollow you whole..." 

Gary toke the ball from Arti and handed her Arcanine's ball. "There, fair trade for now, but I want my arcanine back later!" 

Arti hugged Arcanine and winked, "You might get him back, if yer lucky." 

As the two walked by an alley way, the person that had been chasing them stepped out in front of them. He had his face covered with the hood of his coat. "Miss Nakido?" he asked, refering to Arti. She gave the person an odd look but he seemed to ignore it. "I'm here to give message from someone who you know." 

"Who are you, and what the hell are you talking about?" Gary demanded, steping in front of Arti. "And why the hell have you been chasing us around?!" 

The person took the hood off his head. "I simply come to deliver a message to Miss Nakido from someone who is known as Isashi of Mikiwa Doriyu. She didn't want me say her message in plain english since only Déestinée Nakido would understand." 

"You aren't making any sence." Gary snapped before Arti could say anything. "Leave Arti the hell alone you freak, just go the f**k to hell." 

"Gary, it's alright..." Arti said, trying to calm him down. "I know who he means by Isashi... and Mikiwa Doriyu is where I was born." 

Gary stepped aside, growling. "Fine, but if he does anything I don't like I'm gonna beat him into a bloody pulp." 

"Maybe you should learn to tame the animals." the "stalker" who still hadn't given anyone his name remarked. "Regardless, I should give you this message." he cleared his thoat then started to speak in some foriegn language. After he said it, leaving Arti and Gary looking slightly dumbfounded, he disappeared back into the alley. 

"What the fu-" Gary started to say. 

"Gary, stop cursing, please..." Arti cut him off. "Maybe we should skip going to watch the first battle and find Arii, Nakako and Renku..." 

Gary nodded. "Sure, but, what was the guy talking about? Who is Isashi and what's a Mikiwa Doriyu?" 

Arti sighed. "I'll explain what I can later, but, right now, I'm as confused as you." 

* * *

It had been two hours since Arti had recieved the message sent to her from Isashi. Everyone was now gathered together for lunch, and trying to help solve the riddle in another language. 

"I used to know how to speak Mikiwarai but lost the ability to over the past few years." Arti sighed, breaking a bread stick and half, not really wanting to eat it even if her stomach was growling at her. "And I know something's gotta be wrong here, Isashi is dead... she died in the Prussian explosion." 

Nakako, who was acting like more of kid then Arii when it came to making a mess with his food, spoke up. "What was it he said again? I know enough of the language still I might be able to translate some of it." 

Arti repeated what the man had said stopping in the middle as Renku's head fell into his plate. "Uh... Is he drunk again?" Arti asked, giving Renku an odd look. 

"Probably." Gary snorted, kicking Renku in the leg. 

"Okay, okay, we get the point, stop fighting." Nakako butted in. "Maybe we should get back on topic. So. The part you said so far loosely translates into gibberish so it's obvious the riddle was made to be solved in Mikiwarai. Probably since Isashi or whoever the heck it was knows you know the language, or did anyhow." 

"Y' don' know ya horn from a hole in yer 'ead." Renku dunkenly blabbered, sitting up finally. "It basic'lly sayin' somethin' 'bout ice birds, an island, an' some goddess or somethin' erotha..." 

"'Erotha'?" Arii asked, never being able to understand Renku strange accent. 

"Or other, I'd say he meant." Gary replied. "But, Genius, can you fit all that crap you babbled together to make sence of it? Didn't think so." 

Renku snorted smoke out his nose. "Y' one t' talk, boy! Y' can' ev'n speak th' language. An' Arti only said 'alf of it, I'd need th' rest t' figger it." 

"Fine..." Arti sighed, then repeated the rest of what was said to her. 

"There, now, oh mighty drunk, explain that to me now." Gary interupted. 

"Be nice!" Arii jumped in. "Renku is only trying to help and you keep saying bad things about him." 

Gary stood up and kissed Arti on the cheek. "I'll be at the air field if I'm needed, I'm in no mood for being told off by children." 

"Okay." Arti sighed. "Good luck with your fisrt battle incase I don't see you before then." 

Gary nodded then left. 

"Jerk." Nakako muttered. "You deserve better then that, Arti." 

"Oh shut up. I'm getting kinda annoyed myself now." Arti snapped. 

"Why do you guys always have to fight whenever your al together somewhere." Arii asked. "Gary's always nice until Renku starts saying things to him, and you, Nakako, seem like you want Arti and Gary to break up. You're not very nice." 

Nakako raised an eyebrow. "'Not very nice'? I'm trying to stop Aerti from ruining the rest of her-" 

"Shut th' f**k up an' let m' talk!!" Renku hollored, getting everyone in the room's attention. "I didn' mean y' people! Sheesh, buncha nosey b****rds..." 

Arii jumped into Arti's lap and clung to her. "I think he's mad..." 

"Th're, bett'r." Renku seemed to agree with himself. "As t' tha' riddle I figger it to mean tha'person wan's y' t' go back home, t' Mikiwa Doriyu... Articuno Island. Birds of ice meanin' cunos an' island bein' th' island itself an' well, th' goddess part I can' quite figger, Las' I heard th' island didn' h've a religion of any type so y'll h've to figger tha' part yerself." 

"Back home...?" Arti seemed to be talking more to herself then anyone. "But why would anyone want me to...? I've lived in Prussian for over 10 years of my near 17 years I've been living. And I know mother is dead, why would someone use her name?" 

"Well, your father was thought to be dead but Sanimi's still alive." Nakako added. "Maybe she survived too?" 

Arti shook her head and sighed. "As much as I'd like to believe it I know it isn't ture, Daddy told me mother died and he would know, he was with her when she died. Maybe I should get him to meet us here. He'd probably be the best help we could get. I'm not even sure where Mikiwa Doriyu is. I know he would know." 

Renku again passed out in his plate, this time Arti and Nakako ignored him. "So, where is Sanimi anyhow?" Nakako asked. "Last I heard of him was months ago, didn't he say something about going to Sanguine City? On some island near Cinnabar?" 

Arti nodded. "I believe so." she pulled out her cell phone from her sac she'd been dragging about which was filled with mostly poké balls. "He's actually supposed to call me sometime later today or tomorrow morning to check in. Maybe I should wait for him to call cause I'm not exactly sure where he is." 

"Good idea." Nakako agreed, then looked at his watch. "You know it's almost time for your match? You have about three minutes." 

Arti checked the time for herself then screamed. "ACK! I'm late!!! She handed Arii off to Nakako. "Look after him for me. You can hand him off to me again after my first battle, I'll be in the fire field remember!" 

Arti hopped up rabbing her sac and ran off. 'How could I forget to check the time!' she thought. 'I'd better not be late, some role modle I am... heh heh...'


	3. Articuno Island - Part 3

Articuno Island 

Written by: Arti Cuno 

Part Three: Round one! Arti VS... Ash Ketchum?!

Arti checked her watch again as she ran through crowds of people in the streets trying to get the where the fire field was. "Damn. Don't think I'll make it. Not with these people blocking my way!" she half yelled, coming to a full stop. "Unless..."

Arti put her hands together and pointed them the the ground. "Fire blast!" she screamed and was propelled into the air as fire stop from her hands. As soon as she was well above the crowd she spread her wings out and started to glide above everyone, making up for all the time she lost dodging people earlier. Everyone below was watching in shock. They'd never seen anyone shot fire from their hands let alone have wings and be able to fly.

After a short time of flying Arti flew into the stadium that the fire field was in and landed where she was supposed to be just in time. "Whew... Made it..." she panted, leaning against the bar railings along the platform she was on.

"And what a stunning entrance by the gym trainer Arti Cuno!" the announcer for the battle declared, as the crowd broke into a cheer. "And just in time too! Now to begin the match, each trainer is allowed only three pokémon they have pre picked for the match and the winner will move onto the next level. This match will be between Arti Cuno of Prussian Town and a returning trainer from Pallet." Arti looked up as she head the words "from Pallet". "Ash, Ketchum!"

"Oh gawd..." Arti groaned. "I get to beat up Ash, if only Gary was here to see this..."

Arti felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Gary right there in front of her. "Hey, birdie." he said, holding up a poké ball. "You seem to have Cuno and me Arcanine. Somehow we managed to get the poké balls mixed up. Figured you'd want me to give Arcanine back to you for the battle."

Arti flung her arms about Gary and kissed him before taking the poké ball. "Thanks." Arti smiled, kissing Gary again.

"It seems those two are putting on a show before the match begins." the announce cut in.

Arti muttered something about how people should learn to mind their own business and handed Gary the pokéball with Cuno in it. "You can stay here if you'd like. I'm sure it wouldn't bother anything." she suggested, turning to look out over the field.

Gary shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do right now, and it's a better view here anyhow. Perfect view of my beautiful girlfriend."

Arti blushed but didn't reply.

"Each trainer should now have their first pokémon read to call out." a person at the sidelines called out. "Let the match begin!"

Ash was the first to throw out a poké ball. "Go, Blastoise!" he yelled. After 5 years of training it seemed that his squirtle had FINALLY evolved into a blastoise.

Arti grabbed the second pokéball on her belt and threw it out. "Go, Chikoriita!"

Arti could hear Gary fall over behind her. "That was smart..." he groaned. :"Grass on the FIRE field."

And grinned. "Well, I knew that whoever I was going against would try water since it's good on fire, I figured why not take chichi and give her a chance on something she's good on?"

"Blastoise, skull bash!"

Arti yawned. "Chichi, razor leaf!"

As Blastoise jumped from rock to rock over the lava chikoriita started to have leaves flying about her. "Chiiiiikoriiiiita!!" she yelped and the leaves flew at Blastoise. The leaves obviously hurt the water pokémon but weren't enough to stop it. Blastoise bashed chikoriita sending her backwards and knocking her out.

"Chikoriita is unable to fight, Blastoise has won the first round." the person on the sidelines announced.

"Told ya so..." Gary mocked. "Chichi is too weak in general, if she had evolved then she would have been better for the battle."

Arti growled. "Oh, hush, I was only trying to get her some experience, you think I planned on her beating Blastoise? That I didn't. I knew she'd lose, hence I borrowed Arcanine..." Arti threw out Arcanine's poké ball, again Gary was about the start saying about what a stupid choice it was. "Arcanine, take down that over sized turtle!"

Arti could head Ash yelling something at her about "stop insulting my Blastoise" but the rest of what her was hollering went right over her head. She didn't really care what the kid had to say anyhow.

Arcanine raced across the field, through lava and over rocks and smashed into Blastoise, throwing it into the lava, burning it badly. Blastoise cried out in pain and climbed onto a rock where it fainted.

"Blastoise in unable to continue, victory for this round goes to Arcanine."

Ash was over on the opposite platform jumping up and down in a rage. "My Blastoise should have won that battle, it was a water type, you cheated anyways that was Gary's pokémon!!!"

"It's not illegal to trade pokémon you know!" Gary yelled back at Ash. "Besides, loser, NO ONE has beat Arti yet, even with one of her own pokémon she could kick yer ass from here to the orange arcapello and back!"

Ash threw out another poké ball. "We'll just see who's the loser here!!" Ash hollered. "Charizard! Seismic toss that Arcanine!"

Charizard roared, shooting fire into the air then tried to grab Arcanine.

"Don't let him grab you, Arcanine! Bite him!"

Arcanine, dodged to the side and bit Charizard's tail. The fire dog then threw Charizard into the lava and jumped back waiting for the lizard to come back up.

"Charizard, come up and flame thrower Arcanine!!!"

Everyone waited for Charizard to come up but he didn't. "Charizard!!" Ash called again, still Charizard didn't come up.

"Doesn't look good..." Gary said, slightly worried as he leaned over the bar looking down for Ash's Charizard. "Arti, get Arcanine to fetch it out before it downs in the lava. I know it would mean you win but I don't think you want Charizard to be killed."

Arti nodded. "I know what you mean. Arcanine! Fetch out Charizard!"

Arcanine dove into the lava as the announcer began to talk again. "An unlikely turn of events is happening here, it seems that Ash's Charizard has been lost in the lava and Arti has sent Arcanine in to find it. There's a true trainer for you! Willing to help out another trainer even if it means she may lose if Charizard is alight and still able to battle."

Arti half laughed to herself. "He doesn't know what he's talking about up there, does he?"

Gary smirked. "He never has. He's been the same since my first battle here. Unfortunately I lost in the fourth round but at least the next year I kicked everyone's asses and beat the elite four too."

Suddenly Arcanine burst through the flames dragging Charizard onto a rock. It looked as if Charizard had been knocked out some how and couldn't get up out of the lava once it was thrown down.

Ash called back his unconscious Charizard. "Charizard is no longer able to go on, winner of this round is Arcanine."

"And with one pokémon left it seems that Ash Ketchum may lose this battle even after being able to beat the first pokémon used by Arti Cuno. We'll only know once we see what this last pokémon is and how it'll fair against Arcanine and whatever pokémon Arti has left."

Ash seemed to be growling as he looked at his last pokéball her had with him. Pikachu was at his side bit the little yellow rat would be no match for Gary's Arcanine. "Go, snorlax!"

Arti instantly fell over laughing, unfortunately she fell forwards not backwards and fell into the field, almost into the lava. fortunately for her, Gary had caught her by the foot and pulled her back up.

"Arti, be more careful!" Gary insisted. "I don't want you getting hurt, if you would have fell in that lava down there.. well, I don't wanna even think what would have happened to you."

"I'm sorry..." she said, turning back to the battle at hand. "I guess you're right, I should be careful around here."

Before Arti could call out an order to Arcanine, Ash had already called something to Snorlax. "Snorlax, hyper beam!"

Arcanine didn't have time to dodge before the beam stuck him and knocked him out of the field and unconscious.

"Arcanine is unable to continue."

"We know already!!!" Arti screeched down at the person always saying when a pokémon was unable to battle. She called Arcanine back and grabbed her last poké ball. "Have fun beating up this!" she laughed. "Aquana! Go!"

The poké ball hit the ground and a seven foot tall bird, made completely of water came from it. It was the newest edition to Arti's Rare pokémon collection and it was the only one ever seen or caught before, she hadn't even revealed it to anyone, other then Gary, Nakako, Renku and the rest of the group, yet, it was the first time the public had seen or head of it. Aquana spread out her wings and screeched, shattering anything glass in the stadium.

Arti heard Ash curse from the other side of the field. "Aquana, Tsunami!!"

The bird started to fly, circling about once then flying at Snorlax, as fast as she could. "Snorlax, er..." Ash stumbled for an attack snorlax knew that could possibly stop water.

It was too late before Ash could say anything, the bird smashed into Snorlax throwing it back and in the process breaking the bird in bits but she simply reformed herself and stood on a rock.

"Snorlax is unable to fight, the winner is Arti cuno!"

Arti jumped up and down then into Gary's arms. "And what an amazing finish by Arti Cuno's new pokémon! I've never seen anything like it!" The announcer continued to babble as the crowd cheered. Aquana flew up to where Arti was and perched on the rail, cooing.

Arti called the pokémon back into her poké ball and noticed that a crowd of news reporters started to gather around below the platform she as on. "Great. I hate talking to news people, and they'll all wanna know about where I got Aquana and all that crap..." Arti groaned, still in Gary's arms.

"I know how to get though without em bothering you." Gary grinned evilly. "Hang on!"

Her to a flying leap over the side of the platform onto the fire field and across the rocks carrying Arti to the other side. They both looked back and noticed the crowd of reporters were insistent enough that they were coming after them still. "That really worked out well." Arti said sarcastically. "I'll deal with em."

She jumped out of Gary's arms and sighed as she saw the oncoming crowed. "Tornado!" Arti screamed, causing a large funnel of wind to come up around her. She spread out her wings and grabbed Gary by the arms as she was pulled upwards from the power of the wind. Once they reached the top of the funnel the tornado disappeared as if it's never been there to start off.

"That works..." Gary moaned. "I think I'm gonna be sick though."

"Heh heh... Over did it again, didn't I?"

Gary nodded. "You know, it's kind uncomfortable to be held by your arms hanging in the air here, maybe you should land on a roof or something."

Arti let got and quickly grabbed Gary around the waist before he even realized she'd let go. "Better?" she asked, kissing his cheek. "And have you gained weight or is it me? My wings hurt already, I can usually keep us both up longer then this."

"It's you." Gary smirked. "Your gettin' fat, birdie."

Arti glided down onto the roof of a building where she let Gary down above the roof letting him land on his ass. "That was for calling me fat." she winked.

"Owww.. I didn't mean it ya know..." he complained. "I was only joking."

"I know." Arti yawned. "I didn't hurt you that bad now did I?" She fished around in her sac of poké balls, potions, etc and pulled out her cell phone. "Oh, and here's Arcy." She took Arcanine's ball from her belt and gave it back to Gary. "Think Ash was kinda mad that I used him. Was having some kinda fit..."

Gary laid back on the roof. "Yeah, I could hear him all too well, kid never shuts his mouth. Dunno what that Misty girl with him sees in the loud mouthed brat. You'd think by 15 Ash would finally stop being so childish." Gary shrugged. "Then again, this is Ash. I mean, he's so weird he doesn't even seem human."

"And I suppose you are human?" Arti teased, grabbing Gary's tail. "Last I heard humans don't have tails like this y'know."

Gary sighed. "I know, I'm a freak, not my fault, I blame Prussian Labs personally. If they hadn't started the research on gene splicing then this wouldn't have happened to me. Oh well, thats life for ya I guess, nothing's ever perfect just live with what you're stuck with. I'm just happy I'm stuck with you, my birdie."

Arti blushed as she checked the battery in her phone. "You must want something if you're being so nice all of a sudden."

Gary shook his head. "Not at all. Though I know something I wouldn't mind." His innocent look turned mischievous. "But you wouldn't."

"You haven't told me so how do you know I wouldn't?" Arti asked, poking Gary's stomach. "Maybe you should stop replying for me when you don't know what I'd say."

Suddenly Arti's phone started to ring before Gary could reply. "Just a second, you can tell me what you've got on your mind as soon as I get this call, okay?"

Arti flipped the phone open and sighed. "Hello?"

"Who is it?" Gary asked, only to have Arti put her hand up telling him to wait. "Fine, I won't ask then..."

Arti started talking half English half what seemed like the language the riddle she'd been told before was in, Gary figured it was her father since she was known to speak the other language somewhat to him, even if she claimed to have forgotten most of it. "Okay, Mysai..." Arti said, closing the phone to shut it off. "Sorry about that, Daddy was saying something about coming home early then when I told him about the message supposedly from Isashi he said he'd try to get to Indigo here today if he can make it in time."

"Looks like we won't get to stay and kick elite four ass, dang." Gary sighed sarcastically. "I was looking forward to kickin' old lady ass too."

"Oh, leave Aunt Agatha out of this." Arti muttered. She suddenly took a change of heart and cuddled up to Gary. "So, what was it you said you wanted anyhow?"

Gary cuddled Arti back. "I'll tell you later. Somewhere better then on the roof of some building. What is this place anyhow?"

Arti shrugged. "Not sure I smell food though, my guess is a bakery."

Gary stood up, pulling Arti with him, "How about we get down and go somewhere. I dunno where but anywhere as long as there's not tons of people."

"You must be up to something, only time you ever wanna be alone with me is in bed. Kidding."

Gary smirked. "Heh heh... Well, maybe we should get down from here." He jumped off the side landing on the street with Arti right behind him gliding down. "So, what do you feel like doing anyways?"

Arti looked around. "I dunno really, I'm kinda bored. Maybe I should go see when my next battle is." she stopped to check the time. "When do you have to go to the air field anyway?"

"In a few minutes really. I'd rather be here with you though." Gary kissed Arti on her cheek. "You coming with me to the air field? I guess I should get there now so I won't be late. We can check when both our next battles will be then."

"You're sure you'll win it seems." Arti smiled as they started to walk to the newest field made. "Then again, you're probably paired off with some idiot that doesn't know a poké ball from a rock."

"We'll just have to find out. Ever since the pokémon league changed things about two years ago you can never really tell who you're fighting against until the last second unless you go looking for someone scheduled for the same time and field. Don't really blame em, wasn't fair since you can tell what some people will use for a pokémon by asking around about them and all."

Arti nodded. "Yeah, if Ash had known I was going to battle he probably would have used pikachu knowing I use mostly bird pokémon, but since he'd already picked the three he was going to use before hand he couldn't use pika."

Soon they arrived at the air field and climbed onto the platform. The field was far above ground so the climb took a while. After reaching the time Gary sat down panting. "They need elevators here... what about the fat people! How the hell will they get up here?"

Arti gave him an odd look. "Since when have you had concerns about fat people..."

"Never really, I'm making excuses. I don't exactly like climbing."

"Now you're starting to sound like yerself." Arti groaned. "Hmm, seems like you got her just in time Gary, I see your opponent getting read over across from here."

As always the battle started off with the announcer babbling about thing people didn't really want to know. Gary had decided he'd use his pidgeot as his first pokémon and amazingly it had fainted all the opponent's pokémon all by itself. He didn't even need to be bothered with using Cuno.

As the match finished he handed the poké ball with Cuno in it to Arti. "Here ya go, guess I didn't need him, was good in case of needing backup though I guess. Arti? You okay? You seem tired."

Arti yawned. "I am, I think..." She stumbled to her feet and leaned on Gary. "Anyways, lets go see about our next battles."

Arti spread her wings out, held onto Gary and glided down from the platform and to the place where they could find out about where they would battle next. They both entered and went though the usual random field selection thing, only both of them ended up on the grass field. As the woman gave out the times they'd each battle she smiled. "It seems you two will be battling against each other."

Arti and Gary looked at each other. Neither of them wanted to battle against the other. What would happen if they did battle? It could in the end mean disaster if it ended with one losing and starting to hate the other for winning.

Arti looked away. "This isn't gonna be nice..." she sighed.

Gary nodded. "That it isn't gonna be..." he agreed. "Just our luck."


	4. Articuno Island - Part 4

Articuno Island

Writen by: Arti Cuno

Part Four: Accidents Happen? Arti's Defeat?!

Note: Gabriel and Raphael in this fic would really be 4 years old but they have the same gene Arti had I'd mentioned in other stories where she matures faster making the twins look to be about 9 years old each. Please note GABRIEL is not GABRIELLE and is a boy, not a girl, I've had a lot of people think he is, well, he isn't! ^.^ So that I don't need to edit prior parts, Chris and the twins are currently back at Prussian looking after things as I'll point out later.

* * *

It was now only half an hour before Arti and Gary were schedualed to battle, Arti had recieved a second call from her father telling her the time he expected he'd arrive, unluckily, the time was when the battle was supposed to start. Arti sighed and leaned on Gary's shoulder. He was watching TV at the time but seemed distracted ever since they had gone back to where they were staying at Indigo.

"Something wrong?" Gary asked, looking down at Arti and caressed her cheek. "You look tired."

Arti shook her head. "Not tired. Worried about Raph and Gabe. Probably have Chris tied to a chair and they're runing around raising hell."

Gary smirked. "No doubt that's about what's going on." he twitched and ear then put and arm around Arti. "Since we probably won't get a chance to fight any more of our battles after this one, why don't we just drop it and not show up? I don't really wanna battle against you. Wouldn't wanna ruin yer reputation and beat you by accident."

Arti coughed and pulled his tail. "I think not, You know I'll beat you. Hell, I could beat all yer pokémon myself with one hand behind my back."

"Bet you couldn't beat ME though." Gary teased. "Why don't we tell em we only want a one on one and we take the place of the pokémon?"

Arti raised an eyebrow then lifted her head to give Gary and odd look. "You know I'd beat you..."

"I'm willing to take the chance of you beating me. C'mon, it'll be fun to see how things end. And I haven't had much of a chance to try out these powers since I got em. Seems like it was onl yesterday, but it's really almost a year ago, isn't it?"

Arti nodded and sighed. "Yeah. I still don't see how or why you were changed... you never did explain what happened."

Gary kissed her on the cheek. "I just don't feel like telling anyone... Wasn't exactly a nice experience."

"And this was?!" Arti stood up and fanned out her wings. "Or the fact that I was fused with a ditto and was able to transform but didn't know how to control it? You think I liked worrying that I'd accidentally transform into something and never be able to transform back?!"

"No... Arti, I understand that.' Gary stood up and pulled Arti close to him. "But what happened to you was an accident... It wasn't an accident I'm this way."

"The please.. Tell me what happened."

He looked down at Arti, she obviously was upset that he was holding things back from her. "Alright, I'll tell you... But I want you to keep it to yourself... Don't tell anyone."

She nodded. "I understand, and won't tell anyone."

Gary sat back down, and Arti right beside him. He didn't seem like he really wanted to talk. He had his head lowered and eyes looking at the floor. "Well, as you know it happened after the pokémon league battles last year when I finally beat out the elite and all that other crap. Well, after I told you I was going back to Pallet for a while to visit Mom, Dad, and Gramps since they wanted me to come for a victory party, I decided I'd stop into Viridian for a while and see about the siteings I'd heard about of some nw pokémon. After someone at the poké centre told me it was an ice bird of some type, I assumed it was just one of your Articuno and headed off to Pallet on foot with Arcanine. I figgured I'd see if I could run into it and well, I did."

Gary paused for a minute and cleared his throat. "And I mean litterally when I say I "run into it". I had tripped over a stupid mankey when I wasn't paying attention and it chased me and Arcanine until me ran into the bird. It wasn't an Articuno though... I remember it screeching "Tempest!!!" though. So I assumed it was the birds name. I didn't have a chance to get my pokéDex out before it slashed me with it's talons. I was scared it would do the same the Arcanine so I grabbed his poké ball and called him back. The bird attacked again but missed me the second time. I decided I'd play dead to see what it would do since I figgured it was just scared of me or something. Man, was I ever wrong..."

Gary glanced up at Arti who looked as if she'd seen a ghost. "The bird..." she said, he voice so loow it sounded like a whisper. "Was it bigger then Articuno, pure white head but blue lower down and blood red eyes?"

Gary was taken back. "It's similar, but the one was all white."

Arti sighed. "It's similar to the bird in my dream then. Maybe the bird's evolution?"

"Maybe." Gary agreed, checking the time. "Well, to continue on before we have to go. The bird grabbed me by the arm and started to fly off. Before I knew it I was in some lab. I guess I blacked out along the way. There was some guy saying something about Arcanine but I couldn't make it out, I felt like I'd been drugged or somthing. The guy must have noticed I was waking up cause he knocked me out again somehow, all I know was he hit me, and hard. When I finally woke up again, I was in some jail type thing. None of my pokémon with me, no PokéDex or cell phone, stipped of everything but the clothes on my back, which I thought were oddly fitting funny. I reached up to hold my head where I'd been hit and realized my hair felt like Arcanine's fur. As if I hadn't been freaked out enough, I noticed the Arcanine ears next, then the tail. I didn't even realize my eyes had changed until someone came to check on me and commented on how much of a freak I looked like. He laughed and handed me a mirror. As soon as I saw what I was, I dropped the mirror and backed into a wall scared... I cried for the first time in years..."

Arti snuggled Gary and kissed him on the forehead. It looked as if he was about to cry again. "I don't even know how I got out of there, all I remember is waking up in Viridian Forest again with Arcanine licking my face and from there I ran all the way to Pallet but was too scared of what people would say if they saw me so I flew on Pidgeot back to Prussian..."

"I didn't realize you had gone though all that..." Arti whispered, trying to comfort Gary. After a while of silence she stood up. "It's time to go, my darling. if you don't want to we don't have to though."

Gary jumped up, his usual attitude of 'I shouldn't be whineing over what I can't change' coming back. It was a more recent attitude change from his 'I'm better then you are' one. "I'm fine, We've got to meet your father anyhow at the field. We should probab;y be going then."

* * *

Later, at the Grass Field, Arti and Gary were prepairing for their battle. They had spoken with the president of the league about rules and things to see if it was alright if they go one on one. He had said that if both agreed that it was prefectly fine, however, neither of them had said THEY would be the ones battling.

At the sidelines Arti's father stod, having just arrived only a few minutes before the battle was planned to start. He knew what Arti had planned since he had perfected an abbility to read minds after a three year long chase after Chaos, the worst thing to ever be made at Prussian Labs. The pokémon was every type of pokémon imaginable along with knowing every attack known and more. Thankfull it was now contained in a specially made pokéball designed by him since not even a masterball would hold the creature.

"Let the battle begin!" the person who played the part of referee at the sidelines announced. "One on one battle!"

The main announcer began to babble a lot of crap like he usually did then suddenly shouted in amazment as Arti jumped over the side of the trainer's stand and spread her wings gliding above the trees on the field. It had changed a lot since the older fields, the grass was now taller and trees spread out along it one person had battles on it the year before and almost lost their Usokki.

As soon as Arti jumped onto the field, Gary soon followed, diving into the bushes and trees so she couldn't do an arial attack as easily.

"An Astonishing turn of events, ladies and gentilmen!" the announce hollored. "It seemed these two trainers are going into battle litterally! I've just been informed that this is not agaisnt league rules because they are both part pokémon and there's no rule saying anything refinded as only half pokémon can't battle!"

From in the grass Gary smirked as he ran by Arti's father, Sanimi and heard him saying "Will this guy shut up..." Only he couldn't catch the last of it since he was already too far off.

From the sky Arti was looking around and cooing, She had acreed to only use bird and ice attacks since it wouldn't be fair if she were allowed to use all the attacked she knew. "Ice beam!" she hollered, sending out a beam of ice from her hands into the trees. "Damnit, missed." she muttered, seeing the bushes moving further away now.

"Fire Spin!"

Arti looked behind her just in time to see a ring of fire coming at her. She didn't have time to move and was caught in it causing he to fall to the ground, still surrounded in the fire. She cooed looked around for a way out only to be burned everything he tried to move, the main problem was, fire was effective on ice.

"Freezing Rain!!"

The sky started to cloud over and a hail storm broke out, As the balls of ice approached the fire they melted and put it out, but not in time. Gary came up behind Arti and smirked. 

"Ember!"

Arti spun about an jumped to the side.

"Blizzard!"

As she smashed into the ground and the fire went over her, barely missing, she had a blast of ice shards come from her hands but she missed since her aim was thrown off from the fall. "Damn..." they both said, scrambling off again prepairing for another attack.

Arti stopped to lean against a tree, taking a break since the firespin she had been trapped in had taken a lot out of her. So far she hadn't landed a hit on Gary, and it didn't look like she was going to.

"Whirlwind!"

A giant gust of wind started to circle and smashed Gary into a tree, giving away where he was. She quickly flew over the where he was and caught him in another whirlwind.

Gary growled and looked as if he was going to call out another attack but before he said anything he attacked knocking Arti backwards, hard enough the she broke the tree she smashed into.

"Arti!" Gary cried out, running to her side. He shook her gently but she was out cold.

"Arti is no longer able to fight! Victory to Gary!" the referee announced.

The crowd seemed in shock, it was Arti's first loss, even if it wasn't a real battle for a badge, and if it wasn't really a POKÉMON battle you could say. Again Gary shook Arti trying to wake her up but nothing happened. She seemed as if she was lifeless.

Sanimi teleported over as he noticed something seemed wrong, Arti was usually able to take an awful beating and spring back up, but he noticed she had been down for too long.

"You okay, sweetie?" He asked but didn't get a reply. He picked her up to move her off the field and call for help but noticed a pool of blood where she had been. Sanimi sat her back down and looked at Gary who was scared stiff. "Go get help, Gary! It looks like something happened durring the battle, she's hurt badly."

Gary nodded and ran over to the referee, soon word seemed to spread all the way to the anouncer who soon told everyone else. "It seems that something horrible has happened on the field, Arti Cuno is down and out but it seems she may be down for good if what I've been told is true. It seems she hasn't simply fainted but is badly hurt and bleeding."


	5. Articuno Island - Part 5

Articuno Island

Writen by: Arti Cuno

Part Five: New Poké Evolutions Revealed! Legendary Evolutions.

Note: the names I give to Gary's parents are made up cause frankly, I've never even SEEN them ^.^

It was now nearing five hours since the battle between Arti and Gary. A battle which ending with Arti being badly hurt and now in the hospital. Gary was pasing about with his eevee sitting on the floor near by. Eevee was whimpering and kept looking to the room where Arti was. Even Gary found himself looking up every few minutes hoping for someone to tell him what was going on. The only time he'd heard anything is when something had came out to tell Sanimi the Arti had been impailed on a tree branch, shattering some of her ribs and breaking her back in two. The doctor had said her chances of surviving were next to zero. And if she did survive, she'd never be able to walk again.

Gary's only hope was that her being part Ditto would help out, if she could somehow heal herself. She was unconcious at the time so there was no way she could use any powers, if she were only to wake up she may survive and be perfectly fine. Gary couldn't help but blame himself. He had thrown her backwards, he had convinced her to battle, all of it happened because of him, or so he thought.

Eevee's ears perked up as he stood up and looked at the door. The door opened and Sanimi came out, shaking his head. "She's gone..." he said, punching the wall. "My only child, my only reason for living... Gone."

Gary's eyes widened and filled with tears. "Gone?" He pushed his way past Sanimi and into the room with Arti. "No... It can't be."

As he laid eyes one Arti, he knew what Sanimi had said was true. She was laying lifeless and the color in her skin was gone. Gary ran to her side and held her hand. He suddenly broke into tears and held her hand to his cheek. "This is all my fault..."

Gary leaned over and kissed Arti on her forehead. He heard a slight whimper and jumped back in shock. He felt something move by his leg then realized it was Eevee who wanted to be picked up. Gary picked up the puppy pokemon then reached into his pocket. "I didn't even get the chance to ask her..."

He pulled out a small black box and flipped it open. Inside was a dimond ring. "I knew I should have asked her sooner. I've been trying to ask for a month now..."

Gary put th ring away and heard another whimper. He looked down at Eevee who was also looking about, confused. "Weee? Weeee eee?"

Suddenly Arti seemed to glow and her wing spread out, along with her tail that whipped out from behind her.Her eyes opened wide, now larger then before and she let out a screech as if she was a bird. She quickly sat up, her wings seeming to grow and change color then her tail getting "fluffier" and longer, merging into two peices instead of three. "Cuuuunaaa...." She finally cooed brushing her feathers from her face and falling forward catching herself barely as the glowing stopped. Her hair/feathers were now blue on the top, fading to white tips. Her wings fading from white to the tip of the feathers being blue, and her tail dark at the base, and white at the end. She dropped forward as her arms game out and she laid there, seeming to have died again but she was breathing. "Cuuuuunaaaa..."

Gary stood staring in shock, mouth hung open. Even Eevee had the same expression. "Arti...?" He finally asked after a long pause.

Her eyes opened slightly then closed again as she cooed. Sanimi ran into the room, kicking the door open. "What was that?!" he half yelled, having heard the bird cry. "What happen- Arti?!"

Arti lifed her head then struggled to get onto her hands and knees. "Daddy... Gary..." She could barely talk, let alone move. Her wings were hanging limply at her sides and her tail wiggling a bit. "What happened...?"

Gary was first to her side. He let Eevee down on the floor and picked up Arti, craddling her in his arms. "I-I don't know..." he stammered. "You.. you...."

"Evolved." Sanimi spoke up. "She's now Articuna"

* * *

A few hours after Arti's "death"Raphael, Gabriel, and Chris had arrived from Prussian, the twins, Gabe and Raph, had towed Chris, litterally, since they'd tied him up and gagged him. From the way they tortured him, it was obvious they didn't like him too well.

Everyone was gathered outside now. They'd gone to Viridian for the time being since Gary didn't want to continue any further in the league battles, and Arti couldn't. Gabriel and Raph were, at the time, in the middle of a pokémon battle of thier own, Gabe's Saishuuchu (oddly evolved Raichu), Pikapi, one of the Pikachu Arti had been training before she gave it to him, against Raph's Vulpixie, another of Arti's pokémon, which was still a Vulpix since Raph didn't want to evolve her.

"Pikapi! Dig!"

"Saiiii!" Pikapi nodded and went underground.

"Vulpixie, get ready to doge it!"

"Vul!!"

Pikapi suddenly popped out of the ground, just hitting Vulpixie. Everyone was watching waiting to see who would win, there wasn't really any type advantages other then Pikapi knew dig and earthquake which were effective on Vulpixie. Vulpixie, however, knew the same two moves and they were goon on saishuuchu too.

As the battle went on Arti sighed and stroked her Artic. It was the first pre-evolution of Articuno ever discovered. It seemed odd since her cunos had always had Articuno chicks hatch, then recently, before she'd left to go to Indigo, the last for 4 eggs hatched and Frost the Artic was discovered. The fluffy chick was almost all blue, her creast was shorter, similar to a pidgey, and her white cheast fluff wasn't covering as big of an area as it would if she was an articuno. The chick had been left at Prussian with the twins and Chris, but since they had come to join everyone, Gabe had brought the fluff ball with him.

"Well, I guess I should explain WHAT an Articuna is, hmm?" Sanimi said, lifting Frost's beak and looking at the tired baby bird. "Well, I guess its now obvious Articuno has different stages of evolution, so do moltres and zapdos. Articuno's evolutions, or as I was told, we simply Articuno to Articuna, but I guess it's now Artic, Articuno, Articuna. There's the fourth possible evolution but no one has ever SEEN this yet."

"Oy, I'm going to evolve AGAIN?" Arti groaned, looking at her hair/feathers which were dangling in her face.

"Possibly," Sanimi nodded. "Then again, at one point I'll probably evolve too. From part zapdos Zapdos to part Surge. Again, there's another possible evolution after that. But, as to why and how you evolved, the three first discovered legendary birds all have their next evolution caused by when they die, the bird is reborn and evolved in the process, again, Articuno to Articuna, Zapdos to Surge, Moltres to Blaze. Once the bird evolves it then becomes part ghost type. No one knows how the next evolution is caused but they've named the birds according to what the legends say they are called, Zapdos' final stage is Overload, Moltres', is Inferno, and Articuno's final stage is Tempst."

"Tempest?!" Gary's eyes opened wide, "That's the bird that attacked me!"

He pulled up his sleeve on his shirt and showed off a scar caused by a slash Tempest did to him before. Sanimi looked as if he was thinking as he petted Arti's Artic. "That would confirm the legends saying that tempst and the other final evolutions are extreamly violent..."

"Wah hoo!!! I win!!!!"

Gabriel was dancing with Pikapi in a circle swinging one another around happily. "I finally beat him!"

"Yeah, well, I'm beat you stupid now you little brat!" Raph shook his fist at Gabe then took chase to him and Pikapi.

"Reminds me of Gary and that Ash..." Nakako smiked. "Only Gabe looks more like Arti with some of Gary's look and nothing like that whiny Ketchum."

"I wanna battle!" Arii spoke up, Mariruri standing beside him. "Please?"

"I'll battle!" Raph suddenly stopped chasing Gabe and Pikapi and turned around to battle Arii.

Arti sighed and picked up the sleeping chick off her lap and picked it up so that it was face to face with her. "Wakie wakie, cutie."

The bird chirped and squirmed, trying to get back close to Arti. She cuddled it then looked over to Sanimi and Gary. "Well, when are we going to Articuno Island anyways?"

Sanimi looked at his watch. "We've got at least 5 hours of daylight left, we should probably start as soon as we can... I suggest you leave the kids with Renku, and Nakako, and put Chris back in the closet where he was found to start off."

Chris muttered something about how everyone always picks on him and went off somewhere else. Nakako simply disagreed to look after the kids while Renku snorted and said he had better things to do.

"Maybe we should stop in Pallet and stay there for the night." Gary suggested. "Mom and Dad wanted me to go visit anyhow. And they'd look after Raph and Gabe anytime they said, I'm sure they won't mind Arii too."

* * *

Arti nodded and sighed. "I guess so." she said. "Better then having Nakako and the others looking after them." She glanced over to where Nakako amd Renku were at each other's throats. "They're worse then the kids themselves." 

Sanimi laughed slightly and check his belt for the poké ball with Chaos in it. He had a feeling the pokémon wanted out of its ball but if it was let out it would only be free to do as its name implied, wrek chaos. "Well, we should be movining along then if thats the case. I'm getting kind of curious about seeing if Isashi is really alive. I highly doubt it but I'd like to be able to find out who's using her name to lure you there, Dées. And why for that matter." 

Arti called the kids from thier pokémon battling and sent them to go with Gary and drive to Pallet. She personally prefered to fly wherever she went, Sanimi usually did the same too. Arti was also anxious to try out her "new" wings, she thought, after all, they grew, but seemed a lot lighter so it would take some getting used to for the change. Even her tail she guided herself with was longer and thicker, though instead of three long feathers making it, there was now only two equal lenght ones. 

She spread out her wings and got ready to take off. She went close to the ground then sprung into the air flapping her wings only once and being sent futher upward then she intended. Her father was at her side and laughed at how clumbsy she was being. "Having troubles? You look like a chick trying to learn how to control its wings and fly for the first time." 

"I can't help it." she muttered and tried gliding instead, she didn't even have to flap her wings to staf aloft, she seemed to be floating upward on even a slight breeze. "And I don't think I like this much. Oy, I'll have to learn to fly all over again, I just know it. I'm used to having to try to stay in the air now I float like a-" 

"Ghost?" Sanimi asked. "Well you are part ghost now, that would explain a few things, hmm?" 

He stared to glide off ahead of Arti, heading for Pallet Town. She followed, muttering still, but found it a lot easier to catch up, she could fly faster then she could before, a lot faster. Faster then a Pidgeot that could reach mach two on a dive. 

"I guess I could get to like this..." she decided, grinning. 

* * *

It was getting dark, everyone had arrived at Pallet that had been heading that way. Sanimi had went off on his own to see about arragenments for getting a boat since it would be too far to fly to Articuno Island and on top of that someone would have to carry Gary...

Gary, Arti and the kids were staying at Gary's parent's house. Kate and Aeker were happy to be able to look after Gabe, Raph, and Arii. Kate had gone as far to say it made her feel young again being to look after kids. Arti's snappy comback was: "Young?! I feel like I'm 50 some now, I'm going grey and twitching!!" she had been overexagerating but she always did.

Gary kicked back on the couch, Gabe sitting on his lap, Raph beside him, channel surffing. Arti was with Arii, both of them looking out the window waiting for Sanimi to return.

Arii suddenly jumped up and down pointing to where he saw a person walking. Arti cleaned the glass off with her sleeve and looked to see who it was. Arii seemed to think it was Sanimi, but it wasn't. It was someone else, but she had no idea who.


	6. Articuno Island - Part 6

Articuno Island

Written by Arti Cuno

Part Six

Arti went to the front door of the house, causing Gary to look up and see what she was doing. Arti quickly stepped outside, closing the door behind her as she left. Gary looked at where Arii was sitting on the window sill. "Where's she going?" he asked, moving Gabe off his lap so he could look for himself.

Arii cuddled his tail and looked from Gary to the window. The maril-boy didn't answer, he didn't know where she was going it seem. Gary looked out the window with him to see a man outside. He had never seen anyone that looked like that man in Pallet before, and he'd lived there for 14 years, though the last few years had been on and off making it equal about 14, he'd spent most of the time with Arti and the boys.

"Who the hell?" he asked himself. Arti was now hiding from whoever it was, behind a tree in the yard, though the person would see her if he continued on the path he was taking. She suddenly sprung into the tree's branches above and snuck out onto a branch like a cat, more then a bird. The person stopped under the tree she was on and looked about, almost as if they knew something was going on.

The glass began to fog up in the window again, Gary wiped it away and looked to see where the man had moved to. He wasn't under the tree anymore, and Arti wasn't in it.

Gary rushed to the door, and flung it open, looking about for Arti. Everyone inside looked up to see what the problem was.

"Arti!!" he called out, looking around.

A ball of psychic energy shot from the sky and smashed into the ground near him. Gary jumped aside and looked up to see where it came from. Dropping from the sky was the man that had been on the ground only moments before, and Arti flying above him. She folded her wing in, going into free fall, and smashed into him, forcing him down as hard as she could go. They pair smashed into the ground, the man hitting and Arti backflipping in the air onto her feet, then falling back onto her tail, butt first into the ground.

"Graceful.." she muttered to herself, getting up.

The man on the ground looked to go into a seizure, blood pouring from his mouth. The struggled to get to his feet while Gary watched, horrified that Arti seemed to nearly kill him. The man finally was overtaken by one last seizure and fell to the ground, dead. Gary was about to walk up to him and check him over when the man suddenly turned into a puff of smoke which floated away into the air.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!?" Gary yelled, stepping back quickly.

Arti rubbed her "poor butt", which she was muttering about hurt, and kicked at the spot on the ground where the man disappeared. "He was a clone.. A poorly done one only meant to come and kill someone it seemed, I saw him pull a gun and attacked..." She pointed to a hole in her wing. "He got me but I'm already dead so I didn't feel a thing!" her voice was filled with sarcasm at the "I didn't feel a thing!" part.

"A clone?" Gary repeated. "Meant to kill someone?"

She nodded, looking about for a possible second attacker. "I couldn't pick him up psychically, it's like he had no mind."

Gary cringed. "Sick. Walking-dead. Not something I want infesting Pallet. Is it really safe to leave the kids if someone's out to kill us?"

Arti shrugged. "We leave em, they might be hurt, we take em, they run a higher chance of being hurt, I think it's best they stay here, they should be safe."

She walked back into the house with Gary at her side, everyone gathered, looking to see what was going on. "What happened?" Kate asked.

"Someone tried to attack us.. Nothing major..." Arti said, Gary whacked her for being so blunt. "Ow... Well, I don't think they were after any of you, probably me... Considering there seems to be a price on my head."

Gabe clung to his mother, hugging her tightly. "Mommy, don't go to Articuno Island!" he pleaded. "I don't want you to get hurt!"

Arti sighed, hugging her son. "It's okay, honey, I'll be fine. I'm dead anyways..."

Gabe began to cry loudly, Arti cringed.

"That was a bright one..." Gary sighed, shaking his head.

Gabe finally began to settle down as Arti leaned down to his level, hugging him. "I'm sorry, Gabe, I didn't mean to upset you. I just meant I can't be hurt again, that I know of..."

The half open door suddenly slammed open the rest of the way, causing the door knob to smash though the wall, almost knocking the door of the hinges. Arti shielded everyone with a psychic shield as wood chips flew about. As everything settled Sanimi stood, one foot on another man's neck, the man looked exactly the same as the one Arti had killed.

"Rot in hell..." Sanimi growled, sending a charge of electricity into the man's body, literally frying him from the inside out. Like the previous clone, this one also disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Gabe screamed and ran to his father, hiding behind him, peeking around his arcanine tail. "What was that?!"

Raph snorted. "It was obviously a ghost..." he said, trying to ack as if he knew it all.

"It was a freakin' zombie!" Sanimi snapped, though he added a few curses in after. "And one of the bloody buggers bit me!" He was holding his left arm which was bleeding though his shirt. "Grr, we should leave now since they know we're here, but we should make it known we're going so they'll leave the people here alone. I wasn't about to get us a way over so it's going to have to be by air. We'll fly all the way."

"I don't wanna stay here!" Gabe cried. "I wanna go with you!"

Raph stepped up to his twin brother, threatening to punch him. "Stop being a wuss! You'll get in the way!"

Arii whacked Raph on the head with the ball on his tail, causing him to back off and take chase to him instead of bothering with his brother. Arti sighed. "I want you to stay here... It'd be better, you'll be fine, nothing's going to happen to you, or anyone else."

Gabe nodded, still teary eyed. "Okay..." he hugged his parents.

Arti, Gary, and Sanimi said their good-byes as they left before anyone else attacked the defenseless town or it's people.

* * *

"Faster, feet, faster!!!" Arti yelled, as she was being chased by a group of 'living dead'. She wailed as one grabbed her tail, almost pulling it right off. She was the decoy of the group. She was supposed to lure the 'zombie' away from Pallet, to the docks, to let them see that she was leaving Pallet so they'd leave the people there alone.

She stopped dead in her tracks and turn around to face the thing holding her tail. "EXCUSE ME." she hollered. "THAT IS MINE!" she ripped it from hi hands, pulling his hand off with it. "Waahhhh..." She turned pale looking at the hand still gripping her tail. "I'm gonna be sick...."

After prying the hand off he tail she began to run again, almost being caught because of the time she took to stop. As she reached the docks she tried to speed up, to get more distance between her and the zombies for when she was able to take off, she could see her father flying around above, carrying Gary with him.

Arti spread out her wings as she neared the end of her runway and bounced on her feet once before trying to get lift off. As she landed from the bounce, one of her feet smashed though the boards and a hand wrapped around her ankle.

"WAAAHH!!!" she yelped, falling flat on her face, into the boards. From above she could hear Gary scream her name but should couldn't reply.

The thing that had grabbed her, grabbed her hair and pulled her up to her knees. Arti cried out, looking up to see what had her. The face on the "person" looked as if it was rotting off. the skin hanging from it was greyish and dry. Her eyes widened, she whimpered, trying to get away. The zombie drooled as it looked down at her, it didn't seem to have many teeth, and those it did were falling out and rotted. It licked Arti's fore head causing her to scream out even louder then before.

From above, Sanimi swooped down dropping Gary off to beside Arti and the undead creature. "Fire Blast!" Gary yelled, holding his hand in front of himself, pointed at the zombie. Fire shot from his hands surrounding the zombie and, unfortunately, Arti too. She broke free of the 'dieing' dead man's hands and jumped into the water.

"WHAT WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO PROVE?!" Arti hollered from the water. "You trying to burn my poor little feathers off?!"

Gary jumped away from another attacking zombie as he looked at the pissed off Arti. "Hey! I couldn't help that!"

She climbed out of the water and shook off, looking around at the group of zombies trying to encircle her. "Holy Fire!" she commanded. Fire spiraled around her then shot out in all directions burning anything remotely close to to, including Gary.

"Was my revenge." She winked, grabbing him by the arm and flying into the air with him, leaving the roasty, toasty zombies to burn up.

* * *

After a night of flying, Arti, Gary, and Sanimi were resting on an island they'd found, or more, Arti's Houou had found. She'd let her birds (articuno, moltres, zapdos, houou, lugia, and aquana; the current team she was carrying) out so that they could stretch their wings and to ease off the load of having to carry Gary, he didn't seem to happy about being dragged along though the air when he couldn't fly on his own like arti and her father could.

"Be thankful there aren't any zombies with wings." Arti yawned, laying against a tree. "Where did they come from anyhow?"

Sanimi, from in the branches of the tree Arti was near, called down a warning something was falling but was too late, an apple fell and smacked Arti in the head. "Sorry, Dées!" he called down to her, "Dropped that one."

He jumped out of the tree, his coat in his arms, using it as a basket with apples and other fruit he'd stole from the trees on the island. "And as to the zombie creatures, I don't know where they came from. Something weird seems to be going on, it all started with you getting word of Isashi being alive... Something I know is a lie."

Arti sighed and rested her head back against the tree and stroked Frost, who was on her lap. "Momma died in the Prussian Labs explosion you told me. But is there any way she could have gotten away? Any way at all?"

Sanimi laid his bundle of fruit on the ground. "I'm certain there's no way..." he looked to the sky. "She died in my arms, I tried everything I could to save her, but I wasn't given enough time. I was hauled away before I could do anything... Makes me wonder if she'd be here now if I could have been able to help. Pokémon HQ's got a lot of nerve doing that. They left those who were injured to die, and those who looked to be a threat or mutated were killed or taken away to be locked away... Thankfully I didn't change to be like I am until after they tried catch me, though they didn't in the end."

Sanimi looked back to the pile of fruit he had picked and every single one was missing other the orange peels, apple cores, etc. He looked at Arti who simply blinked then to her right where Gary was with his Eevee resting on his stomach. Eevee was stuffing her face with an apple while Gary looked like he was content, and most likely had been the one to eat everything.

Sanimi hung his head. "I think I regret having you come along... Just for that I'm making you pick the next batch, and carry em to boot."

Gary yawned. "Right after my nap." He kicked back with Eevee now on his head and closed his eyes. He didn't expect Sanimi to let off an electric charge and fry him. Gary jumped to his feet, yelping, Eevee fell onto Arti's lap where she had Frost laying on her, spooking the baby bird. Frost squawked and hid her head under Arti's shirt. Eevee was nearly twice the size of the pre-evo cuno. "OKAY! God damnit.. Can't even take a break after a meal anymore!"

Eevee trod off after her trainer, looking for another meal, leaving Arti and Sanimi behind with Frost and a few other pokémon. Arti looked up at the sound of bird wings flapping, she didn't recognize it as one of her own birds, she guessed it was a wild bird of some type but didn't know what, all she knew was it sounded huge and was casting a large shadow. She picked up Frost from under her shirt and stood up to get a better look. Sanimi stood up too, trying to see what Arti was looking for.

At the top of the tree, a monster-sized white bird sat, picking at its feathers. It was at least eight feet tall, and looked similar to an Articuno other then size and color mostly. The bird's eyes opened, red, glowing, and evil looking. It locked eyes with Arti and squawked. "Tempest!!"

Arti's eyes glazed over, the bird was psychic and had tapped into her mind, holding her perfectly still, unable to speak or move. Sanimi was equally stunned but not for the same reason. He was in shock to see a bird of legend sitting before him. He looked to where Arti was, only now noticing what happened to her.

"Arti!" he began to shake her to snap her out of it. Arti turned to look at him, smirking. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Arti spread out her wings and hissed. "Cuuunaaaa...." she slashed at Sanimi, making contact with the left side of his face leaving four scratches on his cheek. "Cuuu!" Arti jumped into the air, wings out to their full span and glared down at her father with the same eyes as the Tempest. He was controlling her, and trying to have her kill him.

* * *

"Tempest!!"

Gary froze on the spot, dropping the fruit he'd gathered. The bird shriek he'd just heard was paralyzing. _Tempest..._ he thought, trying to make himself come back to his senses. _The bird that attacked me..._

He shook his head. "I'm imagining I heard something, aren't I, Eevee?" he asked his pokémon. Eevee simply lowered her ears and "weee"-ed sadly, looking back to where Arti was. "Something wrong, girl?"

Eevee wee-ed the same wee she had before, still looking back. Garry knew something was wrong if Eevee was acting like she was, she was usually a happy pokémon. "You wanna go back?" he asked.

Eevee nodded, her ears still low. Gary picked up the fruit that was skittered on the grass and cleaned it off as he piled it back into his arms and walked back with Eevee.

"Tempest!!!!"

The call was louder this time, and closer, Gary knew he wasn't hearing things twice in a row. He looked to the sky, nothing. _I've got to be imagining it... I'd say the heat's getting to me but I'm part fire type pokémon..._

Just before arriving back there where Arti and her father were, Gary heard another cry, not a tempest, but it sounded like another bird. He listened closely, Eevee copying.

"Cuuuna!!!"

"Cuna?" Gary repeated, recognizing the voice as Arti's. "Arti!"


	7. Articuno Island - Part 7

Articuno Island

Written by Arti Cuno

Part Seven: New Eevee Evolution Reveled! Arti... Why didn't you just Teleport us!?

Gary watched, stunned as Arti and Sanimi were battling. Him, you'd think, being the one with the advantage being electric type partly, but his bird type side was weak against Arti's ice attacks. Gary however wasn't weak to her attacks, she was weak to his, if he could help. He was afraid he'd hurt her again like he'd done before, almost killing her, well, actually she did die.

Gary felt his throat close off, barely allowing him to breath. He could hardly focus on anything happening, everything was blurry. Though he could still see Arti attacking with the advantage, her newly evolved form's ghost part was working out to be an advantage also, giving her the over all superiority. It didn't help Sanimi seemed worried he'd hurt her if he was to fight back, the electric shocks he attacked with looked as if they would barely hurt her.

Gary shook off his fear. He needed to know what caused the battle between them to start, he suspected it was the bird he'd head calling a short time ago but couldn't see it. _Bird, Stupid, look up._ he thought to himself, common sense taking effect again.

He looked to the treetops, finally spotting the giant white bird named Tempest. His blood went cold as the bird turned it's head, drawing it's attention to him. Gary glanced back at Arti who was looking at him, with the same look at the bird. They both hissed as Arti lashed out, attacking him and halting her attack on the beaten half zapdos.

Eevee sprung out in front of her trainer and barked, she knew something was wrong obviously, she never barked at Arti unless it was that she wanted to be picked up or fed. Arti and Tempest bother glared down at Eevee, the puppy pokémon refused to move and stood her ground. Gary tried to pull her away but she snapped at him, making it known she would fight if she had to. Tempest squawked, as if ordering Arti to attack, but she didn't. Arti's eyes were starting to loose the glowing from Tempest's mind control. Gary realized that the bird attacking was a psychic type, and to beat it off he'd have to find something that was strong against it. He thought what types would work, then remembered she'd brought her Burakki wither her in her backup eevee based team. He looked quickly over to her sack she'd been carrying, Frost was sitting by it chipping.

Gary dashed past Arti and grabbed the back pack looking for the pokéball with her burakki, it'd be the black one she marked with a gold circle . He threw the pokéball as the tempest took control of Arti fully again. The ball flew open and Burakki popped out, looking around. "Buuurakkiiiii?" it asked, confused as to why it was called out.

"Burakki! Attack the white bird in the tree!" Gary ordered it, thankfully Arti had trained her pokémon to also listen to him. "Trick Attack!"

Burakki barked and disappeared, reappearing behind Tempest and smashing into it. 

"Bite!"

The dark eevee evolution bit the bird then jumped down from the tree where it had appeared. "Rakkiiiiii" he growled, glaring up at the barely injured bird. Burakki glanced over to it's trainer and noticed she was laying on the ground in pain. Arti was holding her sides and shoulder. The equivalent of where Tempest had been hit but the bird was undamaged, the damage had been transferred to Arti somehow.

Tempest screeched, flapping his oversized wings and glaring down at Burakki. The bird glided from the tree, forgetting about controlling Arti, releasing her from it's power. She fell backwards, landing on her injured father.

Gary grabbed another pokéball, a purple one with a psychic symbol on it, Efui's pokéball. He threw it out to help Burakki. "Efui! Psy Beam! Burakki! Double Tackle!"

The eevee evolutions did as told but the effects weren't hurting Tempest. The bird rushed up to them, batting them away with its wing. Arti, who was finally getting up off poor Sanimi, was thrown back as Efui sailed into her. Arti dug her feet into the ground and let the purple puppy down on its feet. Burakki had stopped himself and was ready to fight again.

"Dées! They aren't strong enough to take down that animal!" Sanimi warned. "Take this!" he threw her a pokéball he'd had on his belt.

Arti caught it, after tripping over Efui who she forgot was beside her. Arti threw the pokéball, further then she intended, and smashed Tempest in the beak with it. She laughed nervously as the bird glared at her, its eyes glowing brighter.

"Smart one.." Gary said sarcastically. He ran to her side and handed her frightened Artic to her, the bird was squirming and throwing a fit since it didn't have "mommy" to hold and stroke it.

She quickly took the baby bird and looked out to see what had came from the pokéball Sanimi had given her. Standing behind the tempest was an odd critter, apparently another odd eevee evolution that Sanimi had came across, this one seemed to be fire, water, and electric all in one.

"Diverseon!" the critter barked, wagging its vaporeon tail. Overall it was yellow like a jolteon, with the vaporeon tail and flareon fluff about its neck and its face was more of a flareon shape with jolteon ears. Over all the pokémon was twice the size of any of the other evolutions.

Gary twitched. "What happened to the poor bastard?"

Eevee wailed in her trainer's arms. She didn't seem to like the idea of turning into a pokémon like the one before her. Gary covered Eevee's eyes with his hand. 

Tempest didn't seem to care that the pokémon behind him was bigger than the others it had fought off, it seemed to be assuming it could beat it.

"Er, what attacks does it know..." Arti asked, scratching her head, and laughing nervously. "I've never SEEN one before..."

Sanimi stood up and wiped the blood from the side of his face from arti's previous attacks. "Electric Flare!" Sanimi order.

The oversized freak of nature nodded and seemed to charge for an electric attack. Tempest backed off slightly and squawked, it didn't seem to like the electricity. Next Diverseon seemed to catch fire with the electricity crackling about him. He howled as the energy of the type types of attacks were released, charring the bird, along with Arti and Frost too for some reason.

Arti screamed and dropped to her knees, putting Frost in a psychic bubble to protect the baby bird from any attacks. Still it seemed to be chirping in pain. Tempest was sending the effects of the attacks right though to Arti and her baby bird.

Tempest looked itself over, even if it had channeled the attack to someone else it was still hurting somewhat. It decided it was best if it left and came back later it seemed to think as it flew off into the sky again. Before it left, it cried out again. The sky began to cloud over and the wind began to pick up. The bird seemed to be creating a tempest, the very thing it was named after.

Arti groaned from the ground where she was laying, charred from the fire that had mysteriously hit her. Frost had popped the bubble about it and waddled over to her, pecking lightly on its "mommy's" cheek. "Arrr!" it cooed, getting mad that Arti wasn't waking up.

Gary's eevee jumped from his arms and sped off in a take down attack, at the new eevee evolution standing before it. Eevee didn't seem to be all that happy with another eevee-like pokémon being about, almost as if she was jealous and trying to show she was better then it. Diverseon shocked Eevee and sent her tumbling backwards, the wind from the starting tempest only making her fly all the way back to Gary.

Arti began to wake up as a gust of wind caught her and Frost sending them flying. She grabbed the baby bird and dug her feet into the ground as the wind caught her wings, dragging her along, leaving marks in the dirt. She held Frost tight so that the baby bird didn't get blown away as she grabbed Efui and Burakki's pokéballs and called them back. She threw the balls into her backpack and flung it over her shoulder.

"So, what now?" Gary yelled to Sanimi who seemed to be holding his ground without being pulled along by the winds. "We'll be blown away if this gets any worse!

Sanimi shook his head. "It should let up any time now, the tempest effect only last while the bird is close, or so says the legends. Be thankful it isn't Inferno we're dealing with here, we'd be roasted to a crisp in waves a flames shooting at us." He called back Diverseon and pocketed the pokéball.

The winds began to let up and the sky cleared off somewhat leaving a few clouds straggling in the sky. Arti dropped to her knees and groaned. Her hair/feather were sticking up in all directions making her look like a freak of nature. She shook her head, causing her hair to go back to its usual self. "That was not pleasant..."

Gary let Eevee down from his arms and sighed as he looked around. "I have a feeling we'll meet up with the other birds along the way though." he sighed. "At least Tempest was scared off this time..."

Eevee wrapped herself around Gary's legs rubbing against him happily. "Weeee..."

"I don't think it was scared off really." Sanimi shook his head. "It was probably only backing off so it could attack later or tell whoever's controlling it someone's coming. My guess it the person that's controlling it is the one who wanted Arti to come to Articuno Island."

"Great, someone wants me dead," Arti complained, the paused for a moment, "Wait, I am dead, well, really I don't look it but if a cuna is a ghost type..." she continued rambling to herself for a while.

"Arti.. shut up...." Gary finally sighed, covering her mouth. "We should be continuing on soon, shouldn't we? We've got another two or three hours worth of day and I'd rather we find a better place to say over night then here."

"Indeed." Sanimi agreed, spreading his wings out to take flight. "But we should be careful we don't run into that bird or any others like it anytime soon. Next time they might not leave so easily." He sprung into the air, gaining height then circling about, waiting for Arti and Gary.

"Alright Eevee, in the pokéball you go..." Gary said, coaching Eevee he her pokéball. "C'mon, I'll let you out when we- OW, you little!"

Eevee sprung forward and bit Gary making him drop the pokéball. Eevee grabbed it in her mouth and began to dig a hole to bury it in. "Weee..." she snarled, angrily.

"I don't think she likes that idea too well..." Arti smirked. "Just carry her, she'll be fine, I won't let her fall since I know what's what's worrying you..."

"WHY didn't you just teleport us there!?" Gary insisted, just then realizing Arti could have teleported then as far as they'd already gotten.

She looked out over the water. "I can't. Well, I CAN teleport, but I can't have us land exactly on land by anymeans. I don't know where the next patch of land is so I'm likely to drop us on water."

"Anything is better then flying." Gary muttered, picking up his rabid Eevee. He put her on his shoulder and pulled the pokéball from her mouth.

Frost flopped its way to Arti's head where it rested, cooing. Arti crossed her arms and sighed. "If you insist, I suppose I can TRY to hit land... There's always the option of trying to psychically find an area where there's a lot of pokémon or people and hoping that land is nearby."

Sanimi landed at Arti's side, he seemed annoyed that her and Gary were taking so long. "What's the problem now?" he asked.

"Gary doesn't want to fly.." Arti rolled her eyes. "He apparently wants me to try a teleport to the next land mass, so, I might as well..."

Sanimi shook his head. "Scared of heights?" he teased Gary.

The half arcanine growled and looked away. "I am not..."

Ignoring the other noised around her, Arti closed her eyes and tried to focus on picking up on someplace with psychic signatures of living things,_ Preferably not fish_, she thought to herself. After a moment of searching she found a place with several signatures, birds but they usually stayed close to land.

"I think I found a place." She said, opening her eyes. "And if not then we'll be in the water. Either way, it'll cut back on time flying..."

"Good." was all Gary had to say about it.

"Doesn't matter to me." Sanimi sighed, "Though I'd rather fly then this personally."

Arti gave both of the guys before her an evil glare. "Make up your minds, either way, I'm teleporting.... It's you choice if you're coming or not."

Sanimi flew back into the air. "I'm flying, and you don't know the way. You should follow me, it'll be hard getting into where the Legendary Islands are unless you know how, they're encircled by groups of rocks that stick up from the oceans and are impossible to get to by boat. Anyone that's tried to so far has been killed."

"Daddy, stop being such a freak, I'll do fine without knowing where I'm going... I could always call out Articuno, he should know where to go, or any of my birds really."

Arti didn't wait for her father's reply. She teleported off with Gary, Eevee and Frost, leaving him behind.


	8. Articuno Island - Part 8

Articuno Island

Written by Arti Cuno

Part Eight: An Ice Goddess?! And TIME Type Pokémon!?

Arti screamed as she fell from the air. She had accidentally teleported herself and Gary over the water alright, in the air and above a bunch of rocks. She had been so surprised by the lack of ground under her feet she forgot she could fly. Gary, however, seemed to be prepared for anything. He grabbed a pokéball from his belt and threw it downward, releasing Pidgeot and falling on to the bird's back with Eevee in his arms.

Arti fell into the water below with Frost, landing back first. Her taking the full force of the hit so that her baby bird wasn't injured. Gary watched from Pidgeot's back, waiting for Arti to resurface, though she didn't, Frost did. He ordered Pidgeot to swoop down so that he could fish the Artic from the water. Pidgeot did as he was told, but couldn't get close enough to the water to grab Frost. The waves crashed off the rocks and sprayed them as the bird began to go under, unable to swim.

"Grrr, Gyrados, go!" Gary said, throwing another pokéball, this one into the water.

A huge gyrados surfaced with Frost resting on his head. "Gyrrrraaaaa" it growled, dropping the tiny bird on Pidgeot with Gary.

"Go back under and find Arti!"

The dragon did as it was told and went down to search for Arti. Gary began to worry as time passed, it was getting to be too long for Arti to be under water. He hoped she would come up soon.

* * *

Arti's eyes opened. She was still under water. The last thing she remembered was hitting the surface with Frost then everything went black. The impact had knocked her out. In a panic she tried to call out for help, her mind too foggy to realize that underwater she wouldn't be able to speak. The fear was inhibiting her powers, she wasn't able to teleport to surface, or breathe underwater like she sometimes could.

She began to fall unconscious again, drifting downwards, deeper underwater.

_I'm drowning..._

Her eyes closed as she passed out again.

* * *

"Huh? How'd I get here?"

Arti looked about, unaware she was in a dream world. She was standing at the top of a cliff, looking over it. _This looks familiar somehow._

She turned to look behind her, someone was coming, she had no idea who or what. As she faced where the sound was coming from there was nothing there. She spun around again expecting it to be somewhere else but it wasn't. "Where are you?" she demanded, stepping back, forgetting the edge of the cliff was there.

She caught herself before falling but was now on her hands and knees, in shock. She looked forward to see a man, much taller then her. He had green/white hair. The roots being white and blending to green at the ends. His hair was done back so that it was sticking up in the back making him look like a Serebii. Arti gasped as she spotted antennae on his head proving he WAS part Serebii, somehow. The man grabbed her hair and drug her to her feet, holding her over the side of the cliff. Arti cried out as he was about to throw her. She screeched loudly, he'd thrown her over the side. She attempted to fly but she couldn't. Her wings wouldn't work. She looked behind herself realizing thy weren't that of Articuna anymore, but back to Articuno.

Arti looked back down to see how close she was before hitting the rocks below, they were closer then she thought, she was going to hit any second.

* * *

.Arti coughed up water as she came to her senses. She was on land, she didn't know how or why though. She felt a wing brush her arm and an unfamiliar coo next to her ear. She turned her head to see a bird about half her height. It was light ice blue with eyes to match. It brushed its beak against her and cooed again.

"You're a new bird to me..." Arti thought out loud, petting the fluffy feathers on the bird's head. "What are you?"

"That's an Ice Phoenix, one of the two existing ones in the world." a voice from above explained.

Arti looked up and found herself looking at a man with fire red hair. He smiled and held his hand out from the rocks above where her and ice phoenix were. "Lemme help you up."

Arti reached up to accept his offer but the ice phoenix didn't want he to go. It blocked the man's hand with a wing and snapped its beak in his direction.

"Whoa, never seen to do that to anyone other then Rain before... I'm being rude, aren't I. Haven't even Intro'd myself. I'm Pyre, I'd shake your hand is Icey wouldn't chomp it off." He shook a finger at the bird. "Bad girl."

The ice bird hissed and she flopped her head on Arti's shoulder though she kept an eye on Pyre. Arti stroked the bird's head. "She's a cutie..." she smiled. "Birds have a thing about liking me... Guess it's the wings."

Arti spread out her wings to show them off. Pyre jumped back slightly. "Wings?! Cuna wings at that." the initial shock seemed to start wearing off. "This is unexpected, no wonder Icey seems to like you... Uh, you wouldn't happen to know someone named Sanimi Nakido?"

Arti smiled, lifting Icey's head off her shoulder and standing up. "He's my father." She jumped up to Pyre's side with her wings half spread out and her tail draped on the ground behind her. "He should be on his way to Articuno Island now actually..." Arti stopped dead where she was. "Gary!" she realized he'd been left behind, probably still lost or worse.

"Gary?" Pyre asked. "Ah... That guy Koua found when she went to check on her Houou and Kouou... blond hair, brown eyes, looked like an arcanine, right? He was looking for his girlfriend, I guess that makes you Arti."

Arti nodded. "Yeow..." she turned around to see Icey had pecked her leg and was trying to catch her attention again. "What's wrong?"

She cooed and waddled up the rock to Arti's side, staying with her. It for some reason didn't want her to go anywhere unless she followed.

"She's trainerless y'know." Pyre said, seeming to suggest Arti look after her. "And so is Icey's mate. I've been looking after them since there's been people trying to steal them, but they need someone that can keep good care of em. Sure, I don't even know you and shouldn't be telling you to take her but you look like the legendary Goddess of Ice from Mikiwan Mythology... And Icey seems to like you. I suggest you watch out though, she's not just an ice type, she's fire and time too."

Arti blinked. "Ice, Fire, and _TIME_?"

Pyre nodded and motioned for Arti to follow him along the rocks. "I'll take you back to the island and you and meet up with Gary there. As to Icey," he looked back to see the bird following them still. "she's ice on the outside, but inside she's like molten rock and has a nasty flame thrower attack. Time is a new and extremely rare type of pokémon. Ice Phoenixes are the only pokémon we know that have that power though. She can control time and bend it anyway she pleases, that being a major reason for people wanting her."

"I guess she would be in high demand... I don't usually care for making pokémon battle myself anyways. She could be the strongest pokémon in existence and it wouldn't matter to me, I prefer taking care of a pokémon then anything." Arti smiled. "But I'm rambling..."

She followed Pyre to where he had a hang glider. She assumed he'd used it to get to where they were. It was all rocks sticking out of the sea where they were. to one side of them was nothing but water crashing on the jagged rocks, and fog so thick it was nearly impossible to see. To the other side there were islands in the distance, and nothing be clear skies and calm waters.

"I'm assuming you can fly." Pyre said, getting ready to fly back to the islands. "If not you'll have to wait for me to go there and come back with a way to get you off here."

Arti snorted. "Of course I can fly, though it'd be a lot easier to teleport since the land is in sight."

"Teleport?"

Arti nodded. "Like an Abra, y'know. I have the powers of all the pokémon mixed into me. I'm like a walking talking ditto really..."

Icey squawked and waddled to Arti's side, making an odd noise that wasn't quite cooing. "I guess we fly...' Arti said after hearing the bird out. "She doesn't like the idea of teleporting."

"You understand her?!" Pyre looked stunned again. "Weird... What are you doing around here anyhow?"

He jumped off the rocky cliff expecting Arti and Icey to follow, the ice bird seemed scared to jump and clung onto Arti. Arti sighed and stepped behind the bird and wrapped her arms around it leaving its wings free. "You can fly, why are you so scared? You remind me of Articuno when I first got him..."

She jumped off the side and spread her wings, gliding along with the terrified bird. She caught up with Pyre whole was laughing at the mournful cries Icey was letting out.

"You're rude enough." Arti scolded. "Ask a question and take off. Unlike you though I won't be rude and I'll answer..."

Pyre blushed slightly, his tanned skin nearly matching his hair color. "Sorry about that. A good gust of wind came."

"Heh heh. Well, as to why I'm here. Someone came to me while I was battling at Indigo Plateau and told me to go to Articuno Island, Isashi Isami, supposedly anyhow. That's my mother's name, but my mother died when I was only young, still I had to come to see what was going on. Along the way we managed to run into everything under the sun. Living dead and an evil bird, Tempest..."

"Tempest?" Pyre repeated, almost losing his grip on the glider. "The legendary Tempest, evolution of Articuna?"

Arti nodded, adjusting her grip on Icey, the bird wriggled about throwing a fit about flying. she didn't like it at all. "It was first seen by Gary, a few years back, before he was part arcanine, it hadn't been seen again until earlier today. It's one of the most ruthless pokémon I've ever seen. It took control of me and tried to have me kill Gary and Sanimi..." Arti sighed. "When you saw Gary before did he have a baby bird with him?"

"Yep, an Artic, right? First time I've heard of one being born outside of the islands. The pre-evos for some reason don't happen off the islands. Ever seen a Lava or Zap? Pre-evo Moltres and Zapdos."

"Never." Arti replied as they approached the first island. She could feel the heat from below. There was a large volcano to one side, similar to Cinnabar Island. The island seemed to be big enough to have several villages, but the only one she could see seemed like it was the capital as big as it was.

Pyre dove down, Arti following with Icey still having a fit in her arms. They landed and Arti let the bird move around on its own. It seemed to like being on the ground and calmed down, clinging to Arti none the less.

"She's not used to being away from her nest, I've never seen her leave it actually. She just sits on that cliff watching out over the water. I'm surprised she left. You must be who she was waiting for if she's following only you." Pyre explained, folding his glider to carry and directing Arti to a place that seemed like it was a pokémon centre. "You'll probably find Gary in there if he's still around. Koua works there, seemed to have a thing for him actually, though he shot her down in an instant when she asked him if he had a girlfriend."

"Sounds like him..." Arti muttered, seeming unamused about someone being after **her** boyfriend. The father of **her** kids.

She went off ahead of Pyre with Icey at her side. She folder her wings behind her and psychically hid her wings and tail from being seen before entering the building. There were people there, most of them with different types of pokémon. Many Arti had never seen before. She looked around as people gave her odd looks and stared at her. She didn't know how to react to them.

She stopped and looked down at her belt where her team of birds were being held. Articuno's Poké ball was wiggling for some reasons. Soon all the balls began to act up each releasing the bird inside of them. Everyone gasped as her Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, Lugia, Houou, and Aquana along with the Ice Phoenix following her stood there looking around, cooing.

"She's a pokémon thief! She's stealing the birds!!" someone from the group yelled.

Arti's expression showed she was pissed off. It was something she'd faces too many times, being accused of "stealing" the legendary birds. The truth was they followed her. Articuno was the first, after the accident in Prussian Town and her being merged with him, he treated her like she was its mother. The others seemed to have thought the same and she treated them like her own children in return.

"I AM NOT." she snapped, then cleared her throat. "Besides, I just came where, ask Pyre, And the ice phoenix followed me... She isn't even mine..."

Arti's Lugia made his way to where the person who started the commotion was and growled at him. The water bird wasn't as friendly as all Arti's other bird pokémon. It was out right mean usually, but behaved when it was told to. It squawked a threat at the man and went back to Arti where all the other birds were.

"I think Lugia proved my point. If I stole them why would they be sticking up for me?!" in her rage, Arti lost her focus on keeping her bird features hidden and they became visible to everyone there.

The people stared in awe, talking to one another. From the crowd an older man stepped out before her and kneeled down bowing. "Déestinée Isami Nakido, also named Arti Cuno I presume?" he asked, raising his head to look at her. "I am Voltage, Leader of the Elite Trainers of the Islands here. We've been waiting for you, Goddess of Ice."


	9. Articuno Island - Part 9

Articuno Island

Written by Articuno

Part Nine: Kaleidoar! New Legendary Bird Revealed!

Arti looked baffled as everyone stared at her. She'd only came to find out who was pretending to be her dead mother, no where along the way had she intended to become some "Goddess of Ice" as she was now being called. She tilted her head to one side and cooed, confused as Voltage rose from his bow.

"It's been nearly thirty years since we've had a descendant of the Articuno Clan on the islands. We've been waiting for you." Voltage explained. He motioned for her to follow him as he went into a back room of the building, he birds followed along. There Pyre, Gary, and two other people were sitting. each looked up as they entred. "This is Koua." he pointed to a girl with orangey hair, partly done up like the crest on on Houou. "And Rain." he pointed to a guy with blue hair slicked back looking similar to the back of a Lugia's head. "Along with myself and Pyre, who you've met, we were four of the five trainers meant to govern the islands Pokémon League. Each was to have one of the legendary birds of their clan and train it to be their main pokémon, similar to a starting pokémon. To be proven worthy each have had to battle all the gym leaders from the islands then finally the other Elite Trainers. Unfortunately when your grand mother left with your mother way back when it was the end of the Articuno Clan. Until now. You were called to take your rightful place."

Arti blinked then looked around at everyone. She sighed and went to Gary sitting on his lap as he held her. "You want her to stay here?" he asked, answering for Arti. "That ain't gonna happen. We have kids back where we're from, we can't just leave em."

"They're welcome to come live here with us." Voltage suggested. "Being from the Isami bloodline they would be next in line after Arti to control Mikiwa Doriyu."

Arti's eyes glazed over. "I can not picture Raph in control of an island..."

Gary shook his head. "Me neither, he'd have it blown up in a day..."

Both of them sweatdropped and sighed while the others laughed at how they had the exact same expression.

"But, seriously... Why me?" Arti asked. "And what's with the Goddess of Ice stuff..."

"There's a legend 'bout a girl comin' t' the islands and riddin' us of 'n evil man 'ere t' take over and use th' birds t' take the rest of the world too." Rain spoke up. Arti fell over, she could help but laugh. He sounded like Renku! "Was it somethin' ah said?" he asked.

"You wouldn't happen to know a Renku Ikariwa, would you?" Arti asked.

"Um, maybe, I've a cousin Renku from back where y' came from." Rain replied, "Why?"

"You sound just like him... must be a family thing." Gary shrugged.

Voltage sighed and glared in Arti's direction. "Could you please take this seriously. In the legend it says of a girl with the wings of Articuno, obviously you've evolved somewhere along the line though. But the part about the man has already came true. A man named Sereiko is running loose on the islands, no one can catch him, he's already stole Koua's Houou and Rain's Lugia. He attempted to steal Pyre's Moltres but the bird was strong enough to break free. He had come to us years ago, pretending to be another descendant of the Isami bloody line, and taking one of the Articuno. He eventually had it evolve into the evil Tempest then he fled taking the bird. That was nearly seven years ago. And just three weeks past, he returned, or someone that seems to be him. This man has been changed though, mixed with the powers of Selebii."

"Selebii..." Arti repeated, staring blankly. "Sereiko... the man in my dream... The one that tried to kill me..."

Voltage nodded. "I guessed as much, the legend says how the Goddess would be plagued with nightmares of the man trying to harm the birds. The Goddess of Ice is the only one that can stop him, with the powers of the legendary birds, Not only the main 5 but also Ice Phoenix, Forestra, Aquana, and Kaleidoar..."

"Kaleidoar?!" Arti asked. "I've never heard of that one..."

"One of a kind that we've heard of, though no one has ever seen her/him. It's said to be a bird of all types, even never before seen types. However, we've each searched, but never found it, it's said only to come during a summoning ceremony by the Goddess of Ice, you."

Arti sighed as she leaned on Gary, the four trainers were watching her, waiting for a reply if she'd help or not. The truth was she didn't know what to do, she'd came looking for her mother, not to rid the world of evil or whatever they were asking. She looked up to Gary who simply smiled down at her. "I'm gonna have to, aren't I?" she asked.

He nodded. "This is your homeland in a way. And if you're this Goddess or whatever here you might as well live up to it, besides, might not be you and then you'll know there's no reason to stay here and it was all a lie about your mother. Leaving us free to go and hope your crack pot father gets lost and don't come ba-"

Arti batted him. "Leave him outta this..."

"Alright, alright."

"Will you do it?" Pyre asked, stepping forward. "Please say you will, Arti..."

She looked away from everyone, not knowing what to say, she didn't want to be held up any longer then she had to be, she wanted to go home, where her kids were, she oddly had a feeling something was wrong back there but didn't know what. "I guess I'll have to..." she finally decided. "But as soon as this is done, I'm leaving..."

* * *

Voltage and the other three trainers lead Arti and Gary to another Island, Mikiwa Doriyu itself. Everything was cold there, and to top it off it was snowing. The islands seem to go from one extreme to another, depending on the bird they represented. Arti seemed to like it more on the Articuno Island they were on now. She preferred the cold.

People watched as the group walk through the streets, they stared and whispered to one another in the language native to the islands. Arti heard several people saying "Miki Ashina" she assumed it to mean Goddess of Ice but had never learned those words in the limited amount she knew of the language.

They arrived at a building with a sapphire statue sparking from the dusk light. It was of an articuno. The bird had it's wings spread out fully as if crowing to the sky above.

"That must be worth a pretty penny..." Gary said to himself in awe, looking it over.

"There's one of each bird," Pyre explained. "The pure sapphire articuno, ruby of moltres, amber of zapdos, silver of Lugia, Gold of Houou and Kouou."

"Kouou?" Arti asked. "Hmm... If I remember right that means female phoenix, and houou male, so I'm assuming Kouou would be a houou's mate."

Koua nodded and seemed defensive. "And their my birds cause of my blood line."

"I've never been able to breed my Houou cause I could never find a mate for it, maybe I'll be able to now."

Koua glared at the only other female there. She didn't seem to like the idea of having Arti around.

"We should go in, you however," Voltage turned to Gary. "You aren't allowed in here, this place is a sacred area only meant for those with the pure blood lines from the families that first populated these Islands."

Gary snarled. "What?! This isn't fair! I'm her boyfriend, I should be allowed!"

"But y' aren't allowed, deal wit' it." Rain added, as the four Elite Trainers took Arti into the building. She looked back at Gary, unhappy she was being pulled away from him.

"I'll be back soon..." she called to him, being pulled inside as the doors shut behind them.

Gary sighed, alone outside and looked down at his half ying-yang necklace. It had been a full one before, half green, half yellow. Now he only possessed the green half. Arti had the other on a necklace of her own. He'd broken it in two shortly after she'd given birth to their sons. He gave it to her saying "I'll love you forever Arti-chan. You're like the part of me I never knew existed until we met. Take this and keep it with you, I'll have the other half, if by chance something ever happens to either of us, I'll never be whole again... Half of me will be gone" he'd paused to kiss her. "My better half, my love..."

She'd smiled and called him a sappy hopeless romantic, hopeless in the there's no hope for you sense of the word. None the less she'd happily accepted it and wore it all the time like he did with his.

"I have an odd feeling about this..." he sighed. "I hope you'll be okay, Arti..."

* * *

As the group of five walked down a long, tall hallway Arti sighed and focused on the ground. There were statues of the previous elite bird trainers on either side of her as they walked, normally it would interest her, but for some reason nothing at that moment did, she just wanted to get the ceremony over with and go back to Gary. They were on a strange place, even if it was where here father was born, and she didn't want to leave him alone too long. Or be stuck with the odd people she was with for long, for that matter.

They finally reach another set of doors, everyone stopping before three guards standing in front of it. One to each side and one in the middle, each armed with a sword and an odd type of gun. Voltage turned to Arti and began to speak. "This is where the summoning it to take place, No one has been here before other then the creators of this place, not even we know what to fully expect. You can't go in there in your current state though." he paused to look her over. "Kaleidoar won't accept you like this. Pyre will take you to help prepare for later. We'll start in an hour from now."

Arti sighed and kicked at the royal blue rug under her feet. She didn't want to prepare, she want to get it over with. _Kaleidoar..._ she thought, her thoughts seemed as pissed off as her expression. _I don't know what the hell it is exactly but they seem to know plenty, I bet they're holding something back..._

Pyre waved Arti to follow him though the hell to the left. She reluctantly did, dragging her feet and purposely going slow.

"Cheer up." he smiled, giving her a whack on the back, sending her forwards slightly. "Er, Sorry." he stopped and nodded to a guard in front of a door, "She's here to call Kaleidoar." he simply said.

The guard stepped aside and bowed. Apparently everyone knew more then Arti. It seemed to be common knowledge about this 'Kaleidoar'. She wished she had the same common knowledge.

She entred the room with pyre at her side. It was like a tropical paradise only snow covered but the water there wasn't frozen over. Arti looked back at Pyre. "What are we doing here?"

She looked back at the landscape before he answered. The sound of a small waterfall on the other side filled the room with a soft rumble, over all the room was a cool temperature, not hot, but it didn't seem cold enough to keep snow on the ground, she stepped up to the water's edge and dipped her hand in, it was like luke warm bath water.

Pyre approached Arti and pulled her from her knees on the snow by her wrist. "I'm sorry... I have to do this..." he looked into Arti's eyes, she immediately knew something was wrong. "You were meant to be mine... This generation of Isami and Tariko were meant to marry..." He bent forward to kiss her, only to be slapped.

"What are you talking about...." she demanded. "I barely know you... And I have Gary. Let me go..."

Arti tried to break her wrist free of is grip but it didn't work, he was stronger then she was. "Please don't fight me, I don't want to hurt you... If I had a choice I wouldn't even force you to do anything, It's Voltage's command..."

She tried again to break free, this time using every last bit of strength in her, she managed to break free but went tumbling backwards into the water. As she came up, gasping for air, Pyre sat on the snow at the edge of the water looking at her. "I could cut you a deal that might get us both out of this." he sighed as he offered her a hand to help her from the water.

She reluctantly accept and he pulled her out effortlessly and sat her beside him. "I was supposed to bring you here to... well..." Pyre blushed and smiled at Arti. "...You probably know... But I don't want to force you into anything. I'm not like that, the other three Elite are ruthless and will do anything to get what they want. I can't stand to be one of them. I was hoping our fifth trainer would be someone that wasn't corrupted by power like them. I got my wish it seems, half of it at least, I was hoping the daughter of Isashi would be my wife like it had been planned generations ago."

"But I come and I'm taken..." Arti said, wringing her hair out. "Voltage wanted you to get to me before the summoning though it seems, why? Is there something I should know?"

Pyre shook his head. "Not that I know, all I've really been told is Kaleidoar is a bird of all types only the Isami family can call. I don't know why only they can. The whole thing worries me really. I mean, no one has seen this bird for over a hundred thousand years. The last time it came the records of what happened were lost, or destroyed on purpose maybe. I've never been told... Well, since nothings going to happen here we should get you ready for the summoning, Lucky for you this means a change of clothes."

Pyre guided her to the other side of the room where the waterfall was. Behind it was an opening to another room, an ice corridor it looked like. Arti followed along, down the hallway looking all around at the sparkling frozen water. She stopped and touched a wall, it looked more like a mirror then ice but it was freezing cold. Still not believing it was ice she knocked on it lightly. The echo caused the room to shake slightly. Arti hadn't noticed at first but high above there were sharp icicles hanging down like knifes waiting to drop. One nearby fell, shattering and spraying her with the broken shards making her scream.

Pyre snapped around unaware she'd stopped following. Her scream had set off another shaking and more icicles fell. He quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her away shielding her between himself and the wall. Once everything seemed to be done with he sighed and looked down at her. "You okay? You shouldn't wander off on you own if you don't know where you're going."

Arti looked at the ground. "I'm fine..." she simply replied.

Pyre began walking again with her close behind. After another few minutes they reached a large, empty, dome-like room with a pillar of ice in the middle of it.

"Well, here we are... Now, you've got a test to do to prove you're meant to be the Goddess of Ice. You screw up and we're both dead." Pyre explained. He pointed to the ice pillar. "In the middle of that there's a jewel and an outfit you're to wear during the summoning. But, if you break the pillar, the room comes toppling down on us crushing us under the weight of the ice."

Arti had a disgruntled look cross her face as she glared at the pillar. "I'll beat it up and teleport out." she decided aloud, marching towards it, shivering from the fact she was wet and the water freezing to her skin.

"I suggest you don't." Pyre warned. "You can't use any power in here other then the powers of ice."

"Well ain't that just keen..." Arti grumbled, not sounding like herself. She just wanted to leave. "Fine, lemme think on this."

She looked over the situation and sighed. "I'll just have to make something out around it to support the weight of the roof while I break the main pillar, then I can re-form it..."

She spread out her wings and closed her eyes, focusing as she stood directly in front of her obstacle. "Ashina Weki!" Arti called out, she had no idea where it came from, she had intended to speak in English.

A wall of ice came from the ground around the pillar, encircling it. She laid her hands on the main problem and sighed. _How to melt it..._ she could see what she was intended to get inside but had no way to melt the ice. "Why me..." she sighed, imagining the ice melting. "Why couldn't I be normal like most people..."

Arti began to feel water trickling down her hands, the ice was melting. It was doing as she wish. Finally it was melted enough for her to remove the blue sapphire hidden within along with the clothing inside of it. She looked it over before re-freezing the open ice to be sure she had everything then turned to leave. As she tried to turn she realized her feet were frozen to the ground. She panicked, realizing everything was freezing over again, trapping her inside. She tried again to melt the ice be it only began to freeze over faster.

"Pyre!!" she screamed, reaching out in his direction as he stood on the opposite side of the wall she was trapped behind.

He stepped back, his mouth moved but Arti couldn't hear him. The ice was too thick to hear though. She closed her eyes crying. _You tricked me, didn't you?_


	10. Articuno Island - Part 10

REITERATION TIME: I am not the Arti Cuno in these fics, it's not meant to be a self insert fic, or her as my avatar or anything, it simply is not me. The next person to say it is eevee chow, got it? I'm sick and tired of comments like I had on my last part "you flatter yourself way too much" It ain't me so how the heck am I? There's the rant for this fic, I'm not amused and I'm on the verge of ending this "They all died, the end"

Articuno Island

Written by Arti Cuno

Part Ten: Rainbow Skies! Kaleidoar's Arrival!

Gary sighed, sitting on the steps leading to the building Arti and the others had entred. He muttered to himself about the cold as he shook his tail to rid it of the inch of snow piling up on it. He wasn't meant for the cold, being part arcanine meant he wanted to be where it was warm. He twitched an ear and shivered, glancing up at the doors. It had been at least half an hour since Arti had entred, he wanted badly to go in and see what was going on.

The guards behind him were talking in another language, he assumed it was the one everyone on the islands spoke. Though he thought it ignorant of them to talk in another language with him around, he guessed they didn't really think about it, even if they were talking about him they probably thought he could understand.

Finally getting fed up with sitting round. He stood up and shook off the snow from his hair and clothes. He walked up to the guards and looked from one to the other. He had a feeling her wouldn't get past them easily.

"You gonna be nice and let me pass, or do I have to rough you up?" Gary asked, stretching his arms above his head.

"No one can pass." one guard stated. "No commoner like you should be here."

"Me, a commoner?" Gary looked about. "I'm not from here anyhow." he was trying to make them think he wasn't going to do anything even if he was planning to.

"You, leave, now." the second guard commanded, waving Gary away.

"Fine, I'll go..." he turned away making it look like he was going to leave. As the two guards let their guard down he snapped back around "Fire Blast!"

From his hand a stream of fire smashed into the door burning a hole though it and making the two guards that were standing there run for cover. Gary smiled and waved to one of them before going in as if nothing happened. _Now, where in here are you, Arti-chan?_

* * *

Leaning against a wall in the court yard of the ice temple, Voltage crossed his arms and looked to where the summoning of Kaleidoar was to take place. He knew all the secrets behind what was going to really happen. Everything was going perfectly according to his plans, or more, the plans he'd been given to follow years ago.

Koua and Rain had no idea what was going to happen, he just let them think they did. Pyre however knew nothing at all. Voltage had always thought something was different about him. He wasn't like the others, ruthless to the core. He was too kind for his own good. And no matter how much anyone tried to change it, it didn't seem to work.

"Koua, don't go there, you know better then to take the place of the miki." Voltage warned. "Only she is allowed to be there, and only for the summoning."

Koua glared at him for telling her what to do but left the area. It was a concrete circle with different layers building upwards like stairs. There were a total for four pillars surrounding it, a place for each of the other elite trainers to be while Kaleidoar was called.

"Wha's takin' so long?" Rain muttered, staring at the sky. "Ain' this supposed to happen at noon? She's well pas' it already. Then again, she didn't get 'ere until late anyhow, it'll be dark b'fore she gets back at this rate."

Voltage shook his head. "The time doesn't matter." He then merely grinned. He hadn't mentioned that Kaleidoar's personality was influence by the time of summoning. At noon she was pure and on the side of good, at midnight she was evil and listened to no one. In between times were a mix of the too, more evil as night approached, moor good as noon approached. It was a simple cycle showing how good and evil were forever linked into an ongoing loop.

"She'd better not lay one finger on Pyre!" Koua snapped, getting madder by the minute. She wanted him for herself.

"You know you can't have him Koua, stop being so demanding about it. This generation goes to Articuno and Moltres, and Pyre knows that. He's destined to have Arti at his side." Voltage explained. "Next generation goes to Moltres and Houou/Kouou."

"I don't care!" Koua screamed. "He's MINE!"

She ran to the entrance attempting to leave. Voltage grabbed her arm and threw her back to the ground. "Listen!" he hollered. "You have no say in the matter. Now shut up and behave! You're the youngest here and lowest ranking. I suggest you start acting proper before you cause your family to lose the rights to Houou and Kouou forever!"

Koua sat on the ground crying, afraid to look up. Voltage had always been lenient with her until now, with the summoning so close, he couldn't afford to have anything go wrong.

* * *

As Pyre watched Arti be frozen into the pillar of ice she had just melted, he had a sense of helplessness come over him. There was no way he could free her, she was the only one with powers and only her ice powers would work. He stepped back, considering running for help, but it wasn't an option. She'd be dead by then, from the lack of air. His only hope was Moltres, his only pokémon he always carried with him.

He threw the bird's ruby pokéball to the ground and the huge fire bird appeared. It looked around, as if confused why it was in a room filled with ice.

"Moltres, are you able to use your powers in here? Can you melt that pillar?" Pyre pleaded, no knowing if even the bird would be able to attack it.

Moltres squawked and turned to its target. The bird began to beat its wings, trying to heat up the room and melt the ice but it wasn't working. As it noticed its attempt failing it them opened it's beak, trying to form an energy ball of fire, but all that it could manage was a puff of smoke.

Pyre clenched his fists at his side, not even a pokémon could use an attack in here. He punched the ice wall in a fit of rage, cursing at it. "Why the hell does this have to happen!?" he yelled. "I finally meet the girl I was meant to marry and now you've taken her away!!!" he scream to the skies.

Without realizing it Pyre began to be surrounded in an aura of fire. None of the other trainers had ever developed powers in the current generation, it was thought that none of them ever would. Only once every ten or more generations did anyone ever receive the powers of their element.

"WHY?!" he screamed, louder then before, the ice about cracking from the echoing sounds. The fire around him erupted, melting the ground below him and the pillar entrapping Arti. She collapsed to the ground, unconscious with the jewel and dress she had attempted to get clutched in each hand.

The sound of his scream and the missing pillar caused the room to begin to shake, it was about to cave in on them if they didn't get out of their soon. Pyre re-called Moltres to its pokéball and grabbed Arti, carrying her out as he ran back though the tunnel they'd used to entre.

Before reaching the end a chunk of ice fell in from of them, Pyre tried to stop but it was too slippery and he crashed into it, with just enough time to turn so that Arti wasn't the one to take the blow of the impact. Upon contact with the ice his powers began again and melted the blockage in the tunnel allowing him to get though. He quickly ran the rest of the way and back out into the solid building part of the temple.

"What happened?!" the guard that had been there before asked, looking back in the door Pyre had flung open as he'd jumped back first into it to open it.

"We had some trouble once we got in there, everything's fine now... Other then the temple..." Pyre explained, looked down at Arti who was waking up.

She sat up and looked disoriented, obviously the last thing she remembered was being frozen, it seemed to be a shock that she was no longer in the ice. "What happened...?" she asked.

Pyre stood up and helped Arti to her feet. "You were trapped in the ice, and, I kinda melted it, somehow..."

Arti looked at the clothing and jewel she was carrying. It looked different now that they were out of the ice, what she thought was a sapphire was really a rainbow gem that was on a silver and gold necklace. The "dress" she had was also a gradient rainbow-color for the skirt half. The other piece, she realized, would only cover her chest and some of her back, though the top was really low cut. "I remember now..." she said, sighing. "I guess I'm going to have to get changed into this, huh?"

Pyre nodded. "We'll have to find some place for you to change though..."

Arti seemed to teleport away then immediately back, now wearing what she had been holding, and holding what she had been wearing. "Better?" she asked, looking at the outfit.

Pyre looked her over then nodded. "Much better. Now, we should be getting back to where the others are."

Pyre lead the way, taking Arti back to where they had been before separating from the others. The people at the doors opened them letting Pyre and Arti in then closed the doors behind them. Arti looked around, surprised they were outside again, and it was dark other then the torches lit along the stone laid walkways. The three people already in there, Voltage, Rain, and Koua all turned to see who had entered. Voltage stood and approached Arti.

"You're ready I see. Then it's time to start." Voltage said, getting right to the point. He lead Arti to where Koua had been hanging around earlier. "Don't worry you get to sit here and look pretty for a bit." he grinned and walked off for a moment.

Rain and Koua took there places in the ceremony, Rain standing opposite Koua around the circle. Arti sighed, she really didn't have a clue what was going on. she looked over to Pyre, he never had cut the deal with her he'd said he would, seemed better that way anyhow. At least he wasn't like the others.

Voltage came back with a scroll. "You should know how to read our language, if you don't, learn fast." he snapped, forcing the scroll in Arti's hands then taking his place.

Pyre finally went to where he was supposed to be an all eyes were on Arti. She was nervous, she wanted to know what was supposed to happen. She knew some of how to read the language, it was the first one she learned when she was little even if she forgot how to speak most of it.

She opened the scroll and looked it over before beginning to read it. *translations on* "Kaleidoar! Summoning you are the five trainers of the islands below you. Islands of ice, electric, and fire. Surrounded with the golden flames out Houou and Kouou. Protecting the silver water of Lugia."*translations off*

The night sky began to glow directly above Arti. Starting with silver then expanding into a mix of rainbow colors finally ending with a golden outer edge. The bright lights made it appear to be day to everyone on any of the islands, Arti dropped the scroll in shock at what was happening. She stared up into the colors as something began to take shape above. Kaleidoar was on her way.


	11. Articuno Island - Part 11

Articuno Island

Written by Arti Cuno

Part Eleven: Family Reunion? The Real Enemy Is Revealed

Making life easier for me * around speaking now means translations from Arti's language ^.^;;

He finally arrived, late as expected. Sanimi landed on Articuno Island and folded his zapdos wings back. He looked into the night sky and groaned. He knew what was going on as soon as he seen the colorful skies. Someone was summoning Kaleidoar, the islands' protector. The bird of legend was supposed to fend off evil that threatened the islands but not if called at night. Sanimi growled to himself and he began to run towards the place of summoning, he didn't know if there was anything he could do to stop it since it had started already but he had to try something.

As he ran to the temple, a storm began to brew in the midst of the color. Thunder boomed as flash of lightning struck the ground somewhere nearby. The city seemed to be on the alert, even if none of them knew what was going on, only a select few knew about the legend, he was on of them.

Sanimi was meant to be the trainer in control of the zapdos blood line, and his wife that of articuno. Together they were meant to have two children one by, one girl, however they'd only had one before Isashi had been kill leaving there to be no one to take his place. Arti was always meant to return back to the islands and take over where her mother had, but she was never told of what was supposed to happen. How she'd be treated like a goddess once she arrived, or how she'd have someone pre-arranged to marry to.

In his own absence, Sanimi assumed someone had taken his place, it wouldn't be a brother since he didn't have one, and one of his two sisters had been killed during Chaos' attack on Prussian. The other sister he had no idea about, but she probably wasn't interested in anything to do with "stupid birds". For all he knew the zapdos on the island he was born on ate her for being disrespectful.

Sanimi approached the temple doors to see them unguarded and for some reason with a hole in the middle of them. Someone had come along and burned their way in it looked like, and one one person Sanimi knew of could have and would have done it. Gary.

Sanimi used the hole to his advantage and stepped though. He then began running to the area the summoning was at, thankfully he knew his way about the area, he just hoped he'd make it in time to keep something from happening, something bad.

* * *

The huge rainbow bird glided downward to the group that called it. Kaleidoar was one of the biggest bird pokémon any of them had ever seen. The rainbow goddess was at least eight feet tall with a glowing rainbow tail following behind her. Eight separate feathers, one each of the main colors in a rainbow. Her crest was made the same way, however she herself was splashed with colors at random, blending together perfectly.

Kaleidoar landed before Arti, the bird cooed and spread its wings to the full length it could as thunder crashed and lightning rained down. The five people there were lost for words, and hadn't noticed the thunder wasn't the only crash that time. Someone had kicked in the doors leading to where they all were.

"What's going on?!" the intruder demanded.

Arti turned around at the sound of the voice, knowing how it was. "Gary!" she called out, shocked he was able to get in.

The half arcanine approached the group and the one of a kind bird. Kaleidoar squawked and glared at him, she didn't seem to be very friendly. The oversized bird stomped a clawed foot on the ground making it shake and everyone lose their balance. The cement area where the five trainers who called the bird were, cracked down the middle. Arti side stepped the widening crevasse and bumped into the angry bird.

*Kaleidoar! Listen* Voltage yelled. The bird turned to look at him. *You're to obey me, the leader of us all.*

Arti had a disgruntled look cross her face. She had summoned the bird for a reason, and that wasn't for some old goat to start controlling it.

*He's lying!* Pyre cut in. His hands were clenched in first and fire began to engulf them. *Like he's been lying to all of us! He wants Kaleidoar for his own reasons! I should have picked up on it sooner! Kaleidoar, you were called by Arti, the one wearing your rainbow jewel! You're supposed to be loyal to her!*

Gary had taken advantage of the bird being distracted and ran to Arti's side where he was holding her tightly. He looked up at the angry bird, he rainbow eyes ever evil as night. Kaleidoar didn't want to listen to anyone it seemed, she sat down as if nesting and folded her wing to her sides.

*Listen here you bitch! You were called to listen to me!* Voltage thundered.

Kaleidoar looked unimpressed. A bolt of lightning shot from the sky, striking in front of the old man sending him backwards. She yawned then looked to Arti, locking onto a jewel about her summonor's neck. Kaleidoar stood and walked to her side, sitting again. She'd found her new "trainer" and was loyal only to her.

"Well, she seem, uh, nicer... now..." Gary was nervous having such a large bird around. Kaleidoar looked at him evilly again and squawked, she unfolded a wing and slapped Gary away from Arti. It seemed she wasn't letting ANYONE close to her or Arti.

*Why won't that bitch listen?* Voltage snarled, stumbling to his feet. He again approached Kaleidoar, and again was threatened with lightning.

"She sees Arti's necklace and know she's her guardian, Old fool." Pyre explain, in normal English for Gary's sake. "The legend probably say the jewel is what controls her, you just didn't know what part."

Voltage cursed and glared at Arti. "Give that to me." he pointed to her rainbow gem. "It's mine. I should be the one to have it."

Arti shook her head then stopped dead on the spot. She was obviously listening for something, tilting her head to one side, bird-like. Kaleidoar was doing the same. Both trainer and bird could heard something, and were acting the same, but no one else could hear or see a thing.

"Flame thrower!" Arti ordered the rainbow bird, pointing to a specific point in the sky.

The bird did as told, the fire lighting up the sky which had darkened since the summoning. With the added light from the fire, everyone could see what Arti had heard. There was another bird in the sky, a larger sized one it seemed like. Arti snapped about, turning halfway around. "Thunderwave!"

Kaleidoar stumbled to her feet and spread her wings in the direction she was told to attack. A stunned bird fell from the sky, landing with a crippling blow. It wasn't like anything any of them had seen before, it was blood red, with a fire tail and wings, similar to a moltres.

"Looks like you nailed that Inferno good." someone behind the bird said. Sanimi stepped forward. "I wasn't aware they were on the island now. Then again, we just ran into a Tempest not that far away."

Arti blinked, surprised her father had made it after all. He knelt down at the bird's side and looked it over. "Seems fine though, just paralyzed..."

Arti began to sigh, stopping half way through.

"Everyone DOWN!" she yelled, no one realize why until they hit the ground. A volley of lightning bolt struck the ground from somewhere above. An ear shattering, crackly, screech from above followed. One bolt seemed to be directed at Arti but Kaleidoar stopped it with one of her wings. The oversized bird took her trainer under a wing and cooed, looking all over the skies for the attacker that disappeared.

"She's supposed to be evil, why is she not evil!?" Voltage hissed, nothing seemed to be as he planned.

"You're getting stupider with age, Father." Sanimi quipped, a grin showing on his face. "You never were too bright though, were you, Voltage? Kaleidoar is neither evil or good,that was a myth, the bird is both types."

In the background, Rain, Koua, and Pyre all made a break for inside. Pyre seemed reluctant to go without bringing Arti but he seemed to know Kaleidoar would look after her. Arti poked her head out from Kaleidoar's wing, and looked back at her father. "He's... your father...." her expression was genuinely pissed. "HE'S MY GRANDFATHER?!" she yelled. "THAT OLD GOAT IS RELATED TO ME?!"

Everyone took cover again. Shards of ice began falling form the sky as a third bird attacked. Kaleidoar attacked, melding the ice with an attack no one had seen before. She began to glow as if on fire then spread out her wings, creating a rippling wave of flames shooting out around her.

Arti's anger about finding out the man that had tricked her soon disappeared as she realized she should deal with the birds attacking. She stepped out from under Kaleidoar's wing and spread out her own wings. She jumped into the air, flying, the giant rainbow bird close behind her.

She ignored the people below her as she looked about in the darkness for the two birds that were attacking. A bolt of lightning flew past her, narrowly missing her left wing. Kaleidoar was instantly at Arti's side protecting her again. It seemed she definitely wasn't evil like what Voltage implied she'd be.

Arti spotted the bird she was looking for that was shooting off the electricity. It was jet black other then its eye which were glowing amber. The bird resembled Zapdos and she assumed it was the evolution she'd been told of, Overload. It swooped at her, screeching, making an ear killing noise of electricity snapping and crackling.

"Ice Beam!" Arti ordered Kaleidoar, pointing to its target.

The bird obeyed, missing with her first few shots, finally striking Overload with her fifth attack. She squawked happily to herself, looking around for the final attacking enemy.

Another ice beam came from nowhere, straight towards Arti. She had heard the noise of the attack and spun about holding her hands up to block. As the ice hit, she was pushed back in the air but unharmed, ice being her element it wasn't very effective, even if it would be on a bird, she wasn't a normal bird.

"Fire spin, Kaleidoar!"

As Arti held the ice attack back, Kaleidoar beat her wings in the air, stirring up a tornado of fire. The attack was sent off towards the attacking ice bird but it seemed to have missed.

"Tempest, Evil's Persuasion!" a voice commanded. It seemed to be coming from where the bird was. And now Arti knew it was that Tempest she'd encountered before.

Arti had never heard of the attack Tempest was told to do, she knew it wasn't something she wanted to find out though. She swooped down, under the Tempest, Kaleidoar on her tail. They came up behind it but still Arti was struck with the attack. She grabbed her head and screamed, it was an attack she encountered before, the same one she fell under when she attacked Sanimi. The bird was trying to take control of her mind again.

"I demand you give me Kaleidoar," the voice again spoke.

Arti looked up as she tried to fight off Tempest's mind control. The person in the bird's back seemed like someone she'd seen before. _Green hair... Elf ears? Antennas?_ It was the person she saw in her dream before, the one she had where she fell from a cliff from him pushing her.

"W-who are you?!" Arti demanded, breaking free from the attack.

"I am Sereiko." he grinned evilly. "I'm sure you've been aware of my presence for some time now, young one. I know your half arcanine friend down there should know me all too well."

********************

For a pic of Kaleidoar check: [http://www.articunoisland.com/create-poke/arti/kaleidoar.jpg][1]

   [1]: http://www.articunoisland.com/create-poke/arti/kaleidoar.jpg



	12. Articuno Island - Part 12

Articuno Island

Written by Arti Cuno

Part Twelve: Sereiko? I Want Kaleidoar!

Arti circled the Tempest with Kaleidoar right at her side. She didn't know what to think of what she'd just been told by Sereiko, "I know your half arcanine friend down there should know me all too well." Did he mean he knew Gary from before?

She stopped the circle at Tempest's side, staring at the man on the bird's back. "What are you talking about?" she asked. His eyes met hers and his expression made him look as if he was pure evil.

"Heh, and you're supposed to be psychic?" he replied, mockingly. "Your friend down there was kidnapped by a tempest before being changed into what he is today. That tempest is the one before you now. She brought him to me in Viridian where I used him as a test subject for genetic splicing. At the time I had yet to perfect the science, the person often ended up dead or thought they were a pokémon. Needless to say, your friend was one of the first to survive."

"You used my boyfriend as a test subject in your freak experiments?!" Arti screamed, even the people on the ground could hear her it seemed. "You, You..." Arti growled, her fists clenched at her sides. "There's no word to describe what I think of you..."

Sereiko laughed slightly, raising one eyebrow as he smirked. "If you're reacting this badly over him having survived then maybe I shouldn't tell you have I've done to your family back in Pallet."

Arti's eyes glazed over. "What happened..." it was more of a demand then a question, even if her voice fell quiet while saying it. She knew part of her didn't want to know, but she had to find out. She knew it had something to do with the bad feeling she'd had before, which wasn't the slightest bit comforting, she had to stop herself from reacting over the chill that was sent through her body suddenly.

"You might want to have your 'boyfriend' here to hear this also." the mad scientist suggested, crossing his arms. "I doubt you'll want to repeat this to him later. Not that you'll have to worry about it for long, I plan on killing you and several other people as soon as you hand over Kaleidoar. And if you refuse to I'll merely have to hurt innocent lives first."

Arti didn't enjoy having her life, or anyone else's threatened but decided if it's something so important that even the enemy wanted Gary to hear the least she could do is take him up on the offer. "Kaleidoar, fly down and retrieve Gary." Arti instructed, her voice emotionless as she stared at Sereiko.

Kaleidoar seemed reluctant but, after a pause, she swooped down as told. The wait for the rainbow bird to dive down and return seemed like it took forever to Arti. The whole time her eyes were locked with Sereiko's, she knew he'd done something he'd live to regret.

Finally Kaleidoar returned, with Gary perched on her back. He seemed confused about being pulled up to talk to someone who was the enemy, though he didn't say anything. Kaleidoar merely squawked, unhappy about the extra weight.

Sereiko cleared his throat, still with a smirk on his face. "I'm sure this news will come as a shock to you both but I've taken it upon myself to inform you of this."

Gary seemed to not care what was going to be said, he looked more intent on randomly lashing out and killing Sereiko. He'd heard Arti's scream while he was on the ground and knew the person before him was the reason he was changed to be part arcanine.

"To get to the point," Sereiko continued. "You're children are dead."

Arti's eyes went blank and all expression on her face disappeared. Gary's reaction was opposite, he lashed out, jumping off Kaleidoar's back and towards Sereiko and Tempest. "You BASTARD!" he hollered, brining his hand in front of him and attacking with fire blast. "Who killed them!?" Gary demanded, his jump was starting to descend and he landed on the Tempest's back, grabbing Sereiko's shirt by the collar.

As Gary glared down at the man his eyes began to fill with tears. Sereiko's expression still didn't change, he merely met glares with Gary. "I did." he stated, then began to laugh. "I had to somehow kill off the elite of this island and started with killing the children and working my way up seemed like and excellent idea."

In a final fit if rage, Gary grabbed Sereiko and leaped off the bird's back with Sereiko being force down so he would hit the ground first. "You son of a bitch! You're going to know what it was like for them n-"

Gary suddenly blinked out of existence and found himself floating in the air again, being held up by Arti's psychic powers. Tempest had flown down and caught her master while the other two birds that had attacked were coming to and taking off.

Sereiko seemed to be cackling as he and the birds flew off. "There may be a way to reverse things, but there will be a price for this. If you want to know meet me tomorrow, midnight, at this spot once again. Only four people, no more." he shouted back.

His only reason for being there seemed to be to cause emotional chaos for Arti and Gary. He seemed to have a reason for trying to get each of them to lose their guard and let down their barriers. He wanted Kaleidoar from Arti, something she wouldn't have even thought of doing until now, when she was left with his price for her children's return probably being the bird.

Gary turned to look at Arti, her eyes were still blank, as was her expression. He waved a hand in front of her face but she didn't respond, she didn't even blink. "Arti?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder and shaking her slightly. "Arti...?"

Instead of snapping out of her daze she seemed to fall deeper into it. Even Kaleidoar was having the same emotional reaction. Arti's eyes closed as he powers seemed to shut down and she suddenly went into free-fall. Gary grabbed for her arm but missed. Oddly enough he was still floating even if Arti's powers seemed to shut down.Kaleidoar shook her head and squawked, looking in all directions. As soon as the bird spotted Arti she swooped downward to catch her.

* * *

Because of the delay time Kaleidoar had experienced, she soon realized she wasn't going to reach Arti in time. The fall from a height as high up as she was would most likely be fatal. _Arti..._ the rainbow bird psychically called to her trainer. _Arti... I hope you understand why I'm going to do this..._

Kaleidoar suddenly turned into pure, pastel rainbow-coloured, energy which surrounded Arti. The energy shone brightly for a moment, then it began to fade out, entering Arti. Kaleidoar was merging with Arti so that she could help control Arti's actions and save her before she hit the ground, or the cement which she was heading for.

Arti's eyes snapped open, but they weren't here red eyes, they were Kaleidoar's rainbow ones. The merging process was starting and their traits were starting to mix into one person/bird. As the realizations of the ground fast approaching struck them both, their combined powers kicked in, causing them to teleport. They didn't care where they went as long as they were out of danger for the time being.

* * *

"What the hell just happened?!" Gary exclaimed, finally back on the ground. When Arti and Kaleidoar has disappeared, he had begun to fall but was caught by Sanimi, who had been trying to get to Arti, before he hit.

"They merged." Voltage explained, once he'd realized Sereiko was only using him, the old man seemed to change his opinions and sides he was fighting for. "I thought it was just a myth about the rainbow goddess being able to merge with her master of the time. There's never been any written proof of it in all the history of the islands. Yet we've just seen it..."

"She probably had no reason to merge with people before," Sanimi interjected. "Kaleidoar has always been referred to as evil at night, good during the day, yet all but one of the past three summonings were at night, it is possible the night ones were merely evil people and the one day calling was a person of good intentioned, this is how the legend became twisted to what it is."

"This still doesn't explain where they are!" Gary growled. "Are you saying that bird took over Arti and now I've lost her too?!"

Sanimi shook his head. "Calm down. I know things aren't going that well right now, but-"

"'That well'?! 'THAT WELL'?!?! Sanimi, that psycho claims he killed..." Gary dropped to his knees, reality slamming into him full force as he broke into tears. "If Arti's gone too..."

"Arti's gone?" Everyone looked up to see that Pyre had returned. "What happened? I knew I shouldn't have left... I might have been able to help."

"She's not gone, as in killed, Pyre." Voltage explained. "Merely missing at this point in time. Kaleidoar has merged with her, the two of them becoming one person. If the Myths are reality like they seem to be turning out to be, she will be gone for the rest of the night at least. The changes to make the personality of the bird and human mix takes time, as does the physical attributes."

"So when she comes back she won't be Arti anymore." Gary sighed, fighting back another emotional outbreak and he sat on the ground. "Even if she isn't "gone" completely, her personality will be swallowed by Kaleidoar and her appearance changed..."

"But I thought I heard the bird's personality varies according to the person it serves, doesn't that mean Kaleidoar will be like Arti?" Pyre asked, he seemed as if he too was upset but hiding his feelings inside.

"we might want to worry about what she'll come back as after..." Sanimi advised. "That Sereiko said he'd be back, and he said he could bring back Raphael and Gabriel somehow if we gave him what he wanted..."

"But he wants Kaleidoar, I know he does..." Gary said. "And now the bird's gone too..."

"Then we'll have to making him THINK he has the bird." Voltage decided, crossing his arms. "It can't be that hard to fool him, even if he is part selebii, there's got to be a way."

The four set about to plotting how to trick Sereiko into thinking he had won, realizing they had less then 24 hours to come up with something and complete their plan.

* * *

_Where am I? Who... who am I?_

The morning sun hit the ice and water, reflecting the light in an array of colours. the confused girl opened her eyes, revealing they matched the rainbow of colours. Even her hair was now strips of feathers making eight colours that matched a rainbow. She pushed herself into a sitting position and dusted the cold sand off her. She somehow had ended up on a beach like area even if it seemed as if it was winter according to the ice in the water.

"Kalei..." it was her first spoken word since her creation. "That's my name, isn't it?"

She looked down at her hands then turned her head from one side to the other, looking at her wings. They were pink at the tops, fading down to yellow, then green, then a slight hint of blue brushed the tips of her pin feathers. She began to stand but plopped back down with the weight of her tail. She looked behind herself, seeing her tail matched how her hair was. Eight pieces, each a colour of the rainbow.

She tried again, this time standing and looking about. "Kalei is who _I_ am but I was made from two others..."

Kalei walked to the ice/water's edge and gazed down at her reflection. "I'm of Arti Cuno and Kaleidoar, aren't I? I was made so that Arti wouldn't die..."

Her eyes filled with tears but she didn't understand why, she reached up to wipe them away. "I can feel her pain... Her sadness... Her losses... And deep down I can feel her love for someone..."

Kalei looked down at the necklaces around her neck, one was the rainbow gem used to summon Kaleidoar, but the other was one Arti had been given.

_"I'll love you forever Arti-chan."_

Kalei looked about, she didn't know where the voice came from at first then realized it was a memory, one of Arti's.

_"You're like the part of me I never knew existed until we met. Take this and keep it with you, I'll have the other half, if by chance something ever happens to either of us, I'll never be whole again... Half of me will be gone."_

Kalei stared into the sky as the memory replayed itself. She could see Arti and someone together, the name escaped her at the moment. They were looking into each other's eyes, she was crying but it was tears of joy at the time, not the sorrow like she was feeling now.

Kalei closed her eyes, dropping back to the ground, nearly unconscious as she was being taken over by all the memories of Arti and Kaleidoar both.

_"My better half, my love..."_


	13. Articuno Island - Part 13

Articuno Island 

Written by Arti Cuno

Part Thirteen: Kaleidoar is Gone? A Deal With the Devil!

Hours had passed since Arti and Kaleidoar had disappeared. Sanimi had ordered that Koua and Rain be jailed for aiding Voltage in his sick plot to take Kaleidoar as their own. All the while Voltage was permitted to be free, at least until Arti and Kaleidoar had been found. Although Sanimi hadn't wanted to admit it, he needed Voltage's knowledge of the scrolls which told the legend of Kaleidoar. When Sanimi was younger, he had read the scrolls himself but long since forgot most of the details written.

Now gathered were Pyre, Gary, Sanimi, and Voltage as they attempted to solve the problem at hand. Sereiko wanted Kaleidoar, and he wanted her by midnight, they only had a bit under a day to decide what to do. Gary sat away from the group who were seated around a table, old books and scrolls scattered before them. He didn't want anything to do with anyone. He wanted to be alone, he had no one left. He had been told his children were dead and shortly after he'd lost Arti, it was too much for him.

Gary shifted himself so that he was leaning against the wall, in a corner, his legs against his chest. He folded his arm so they rested on his knees then buried his head, tucking it downward so that no one could see his face. _Why.._ he thought, biting his lip as he forced back tears. _Why did this happen... All over some stupid bird..._ He clenched his teeth tighter down as he tried harder not to cry, his fangs pierced his lips causing them to begin bleeding. _No one else even seems to be thinking of Arti..._

He felt a hand on his left shoulder, his ears perked up slightly but he refused to look up or say anything, in fear of his voice cracking or the person seeing the tears lingering in the corners of his eyes. Either thing would give away how upset he felt and he didn't feel like being coddled like a baby and told 'there, there, it'll be alright.'.

"No need to act so tough, it's obvious you're upset." A concerned voice said soothingly. It was Pyre.

"Sleeping..." Gary managed to say, hiding the sorrow in his voice moderately well.

"Funny, not many people can talk in their sleep and reply to a conversation so well." Pyre mused, trying to lighten the mood. He sat at Gary's side and patted his shoulder. "Hey, no need for the macho act, kid, everyone knows you're upset, you've every right to be..."

"Shut up." Gary growled. He stood, shoving Pyre's hand off his shoulder. "I don't want to even speak with you, and once I find Arti, I'm leaving this place, with her, and never coming back."

He turned to face Pyre. "You want her for yourself, you're not having her. I don't give a damn about your rituals and destined marriages, she's mine. If you want to fight me for her, screw you, I wouldn't bother wasting my time with your worthless self."

Gary's tail bushed up like an angry cat as he took a moment to merely glare at Pyre. He turned away, a low growl echoing in his throat. "I'm sick of all this shit, I'm going to look for Arti myself."

"Gary, wait." Sanimi said, trying to cut him off before he left.

"Stuff it." Gary snapped, not even looking at Sanimi. "You three deal with the freak who made me this way. I'll deal with finding Arti."

He forcefully shoved Sanimi aside, and proceeded to the exit. "I'll be back in an hour or so." he grumbled, the left, slamming the door.

* * *

Kalei had once again awoken, only again to find herself in unfamiliar surroundings. She looked at the strange ceiling as if entranced by it, her rainbow eyes slowly drifting over the cracks and sharp looking texture. She then looked around the room, not knowing if she should know the place or not. Nothing seemed familiar, nothing looked like anything she would have decorated a room with either. Everything was done in shades of purple and silver. Kalei had nothing wrong with silver but wasn't fond of the purple colours the person had chosen. Purple blankets, walls, curtains. Silver bedposts window and door frames, an interior decorator's nightmare.

Her head suddenly turned to the side at the sound of foot steps. They seemed to be coming towards the partial open door, the designer's nightmare his/herself no doubt. Kalei closed her eyes and pretended to still be asleep, then partially opened one eye as the door creaked further open, she saw that the person was looking at her so she quickly closed both eyes, unable to get a good look at them.

*Awake yet?* a voice asked. The voice seemed to belong to an older man.

The door closed with a click, the person walked over to Kalei, his walk seemed to have a limp to it, there being a shuffling noise as if he was dragging a foot somewhat. The noise stopped for a moment, she felt like she could feel him looking at him, nearly making her shiver.

There was a slight clatter as he placed something on a nearby table. *Not awake yet, eh?* there seemed to be a slyness in the man's voice.

Kalei felt a chill down her spine, she began to open her eyes. The man was leaning over her, reaching across the bed, she looked to the side to see he was picking up her necklaces, the rainbow gem one and the half a ying yang. *Such a lovely gem, but why would someone as beautiful as yourself wear this other thing?*

Kalei thought the old man was crazy, he seemed to be talking to himself. Then she realized the reason he had the slyness to his voice, he knew she was really awake and listening... Somehow...

"It was a gift, given to a part of me..." Kalei replied, absent to the fact she had said 'part of me' in reference to her Arti half.

The man stood up straight, as straight as his crooked back could, and smiled at Kalei. "Ahh... I see..." he motioned to where he had earlier sat down a tray of food. "Hungry?"

She shook her head no. "Thanks for the offer... I'm not hungry... I...." she paused, closing her eyes as a small pain in her head began. "I have to go... I have to be somewhere..."

Again she could feel a flood of memories from both halves colliding in her mind. She attempted to shove them aside, for 'later sorting'. She sat up, starting to swing her legs off the bed only to be stopped by the old man. "You need your rest, young one. Your mind is troubled, Kaleidoar, as one would suspect after such a troubled ordeal."

Kalei's head snapped to look into the man's eyes. She was sure she hadn't mentioned her name, and she knew she hadn't mentioned anything about kaleidoar or what had happened. She started to open her mouth to ask how he had known but stopped as he placed a finger on her lips.

"Don't ask questions, sort through your problems while you have time. You need to be ready for tonight." he said, moving her hand away. "I'm merely an old man who collects information, my dear... That's all you need to know for now."

The old man began to shuffle toward the door, looking back as he exited. "If you need anything, I'll be near by." he said, then closed the door behind him.

Kalei laid back, staring at the ceiling once again. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. Even if she didn't want to admit the old man was right, he was. She needed her thoughts sorted before she'd be any good to anyone, even herself. Her hands idly wandered back to the half pendant around her neck as she tried to clear her mind of the hundreds of thoughts happening all to once. She needed to be able to go through things one at a time but her mind wasn't letting her.

Before long she soon found herself drifting off to sleep once again. She only hoped the rest would help speed up her recovery and allow her on her way soon.

* * *

_"You're children are dead..."_

Kalei suddenly shot up suddenly as she heard the words in her head. She looked about the darkened room quickly, as if something was nearby going to attack her. A few moments passed, all was quite. She realized it had just been a nightmare, or a memory, that passed by as she'd been asleep

After calming herself from the sudden jolt she realize she'd been out longer than she'd wanted to be, it was dark outside, night had already fallen. Something seemed to be echoing in her head, telling her she had to go, there was no more waiting, time was nearly up, if she didn't go soon _he_ might be killed, the one Arti loved.

Quickly she shuffled out of bed, nearly loosing her balance as she stood, standing seems almost unfamiliar to her for a moment. She regained her balance then attempted to open the door to the room. It turned slightly then stuck. Locked. She continued to fight with it, hoping to jar it loose but it didn't seem to be working. Frustrated, she finally turned to the window looking to see if there was a way to open it. As she searched, she soon found it locked as well, but from the outside?

_I'm being kept here... He knew I was going to leave..._ she thought, glaring at the lock on the other side. While glaring, Kalei felt an odd power strike her suddenly, causing her to pull back and hold her head. As the power went off, the window shattered, blasting glass outward onto the ground, leaving shards scattered about, catching the moonlight and glimmering faintly.

Kalei looked to where the window had been then outside to where it now laid. She checked the edge of the windowsill for sharp pieces that would cut her but found all the glass had been completely removed. She began to climb onto the windowsill as the now familiar shuffle-walk was head coming down the hallway behind the door.

"What's going on in there?" the man sounded as if he'd been woken up and was rather angry over it.

Scrambling clumsily, Kalei hurried the rest of the way out the window, realizing only as she was about to land on the ground, the glass was still there. She panicked and threw her wings out, flapping them with the intent to stay aloft. Instead of merely keeping off the ground, she was thrown into the air, a feat which normally took Arti a lot of pain in her back to pull off, yet, it felt effortless.

Now that she was finally free, she flew higher into the air to see where she was. Things looked familiar, but so much had changed since Kaleidoar had last visited, the bird only vaguely recognized anything. Arti wasn't much better since she had only arrived there herself.

Going by what the bird half knew, Kalei assumed she was on the outer edge of Articuno Island. The icy waters crashed onto the shore not far away and the island itself had a wintry-cold feeling to it.

_Sereiko... I have to find him..._

Kalei looked around, the voice was one of the two in her head, which one, she couldn't tell. They were both starting to sound the same to her, as if her mind was finally being completely merged, with no hope of the two being pulled apart.

_Sereiko will end all your confusion, you have to find him..._

* * *

The 'hour or so' Gary had claimed he'd be gone fore, had long since past. He found himself back at the place of the summoning again, sitting so he could clearly see where Arti had last been before the bird took her over. _ I can't understand why this happened... WHY did that bird do that... She's lived though worse falls... I know it was looking for an excuse to take her away from me..._

As farfetched as Gary knew his thoughts were, he couldn't help but think them. Reason was beyond him, confusion, frustration, sorrow, and anger were too busy fighting for him to do much. Impatience was starting to rear its ugly head as well as the time for Sereiko to return was nearing. Midnight was only half an hour away now, and things would likely become much worse. With no news of Kaleidoar or Arti being spotted, Gary was losing all hope in seeing either of them or his children ever again.

Moving closer to where the actual summoning of Kaleidoar took place, Gary sighed and looked up into the sky. "Why did you leave me..." His hand was clenched around his half of the pendant he'd split and shared with Arti. "I knew something like this would eventually happen, but not this soon...."

He leaned back on one of the remaining pillars then slid down so that he was sitting with his legs outstretched.

"Talking to one's self is a sign of insanity, you know."

The voice caused Gary's blood to stop, cold in his veins. He slowly turned his head to the direction it was coming from. Sereiko was standing about 30 feet away to Gary's left.

"Early are you?" he asked, checking the watch on his wrist. "I always thought the good guys were supposed to be right on time, and the bad guy wither fashionably late or early to cause trouble and prepare traps for the unsuspecting?" He laughed a sharp, ear piercing cackle then stopped. "Enough of that, where are the others? Where's the Rainbow Goddess?"

"They didn't come." Gary lied, no wanting anyone else to be hurt. He stood up, keeping his eyes locked on Sereiko. "The bird is gone, it sacrificed itself to save it's summoner."

Sereiko raised an eyebrow, a perplexed look across his face. "Is that so..." He scratched his chin as he casually walked up to Gary. "That's funny because the bird is immortal... Where is it?"

Gary growled, he'd forgotten the person he was dealing with knew far more than anyone else about Kaleidoar. "She merged with Arti..." he finally broke as his gaze shifted to the ground. "The bird stole her from me."

Sereiko's puzzled expression turned to pure evil, complete with the sinister villain grin. "Oh? And she hasn't come back yet?"

"Not yet..." Gary sighed, expecting the worst.

"Well, what am I going to do about this... I should go looking I suppose..." Sereiko folded his arms. "Want to help?"

Gary's eyes flew from looking to the ground, to staring at Sereiko. "What? Help you? Why would I help-?"

"Oh, don't be stupid, boy. You want the girl, I want the bird. I can rip them apart. You can't. And if we don't do it soon, they won't be separable. So, I'll make you a deal. If we find her, I'll return the girl to you, unharmed, as long as I can keep the bird."

Gary stopped, himself from saying what he wanted to. Part of him was crying out to say yes, he'd help, without any hesitations as long as he had Arti. He realized though other things would still not be right.

"What about my two boys you killed back in Pallet Town...." he asked, chocking back the sadness that was eating at him again.

"I suppose I can bring them back too... you can be on your merry way once again... " Sereiko sighed. "You people are so hard to please, becoming so attached to things that can die.... Well, is it a deal? You help me find the bird. I give you her and the two brats, and you'll be off on your merry way while I have Kaleidoar?"

Sereiko seemed to be becoming more and more impatient, constantly checking on his watch. "Well?"

Gary lowered his head. He didn't want to doom anyone but he couldn't pass up the offer, he only hoped the others would find a way to deal with the new problem, and hope Kaleidoar wouldn't be easy to find. "What choice do I have?" he finally spoke, holding out his hand. "I guess it's a deal...."

Sereiko grabbed Gary's hand and shook it rather briskly. "Well done, good choice, my friend..."

Weakly, Gary smiled, he knew it was hardly a 'good choice' but at the moment, there weren't any better.


	14. Articuno Island Part 14

Articuno Island 

Written by Arti Cuno Faeore!

Part Fourteen: Forever One? No... I'm too late...

Midnight had finally come, the full moon shone directly down on the shattered summoning grounds, revealing the figures of Sanimi and Voltage. They had arrived on time expecting Seiriko to be waiting for them, expecting them to have what they couldn't find. They had reviewed ever scroll they could hoping to find information that would help, unfortunately all seemed to point to the worst.

_The night of the merging brings peace and chaos to the bird goddess of clouded rainbow skies._

The line starting the merging explanation echoed in Sanimi's mind, he didn't understand the exact meaning behind it Chaos and Peace seemed as if it were an oxymoron, likely the expression had a different meaning long lost since they days the scroll had been written.

_If the summoner should be too weak to overpower the will of the Rainbow Goddess they shall be forever lost._

Arti was strong willed but never had she put up with such a drastic blow to her mind. Sanimi remembered Arti laughing about how when she was alone after being gene spliced she couldn't control some of the random pokemon urges that passed when with wild pokemon or even certain tamed ones. Sanimi prayed she didn't have a relapse after being weakened by the stress of losing her sons.

_Within one sun and one moon the merge will complete, giving the goddess knew knowledge and wisdom, or... The separation begins, sending the goddess to her home in the clouds, less, her reason for summoning begets her to stay._

Sanimi looked to his watch, they had little time left. He estimated maybe one hour at most, unless the third option happened, there was a reason for Kaleidoar to stay, the scrolls were unclear though on if staying held back the time it took for he merge to complete or if the bird would remain in a merged form until its mission was completed. He also noted 15 minutes had passed since midnight, Seiriko wasn't coming it seemed.

"I think something happened that we weren't informed about..." Sanimi thought out loud, surveying the area. "He wouldn't be this late, if he knows about what's going to happen. He's out there looking, somehow he found out we don't have her..." He pause and folded his arms. "I do believe Gary might have something to do with it, since Pyre hasn't reported back finding him yet..."

Voltage snorted "Nice son-in-law you have there, trained your daughter really well. Backstabbed an entire culture to help the very person who claimed to kill his own kids." His voice trailed for a moment as if he finally realized something. "My own great-grandchildren..."

Sanimi placed a hand on his fathers shoulder as an offering of reassurance. "Let's go join the hunt. It's turned into a race now, and there's no second place in this one."

* * *

The light breeze from only an hour earlier was now gradually turning into a small wind storm. Kalei landed roughly on a building top, taking a break from her search for Sereiko. She found her hands holding the rainbow gem necklace around her neck, as she'd been doing a lot while in flight. The gem flickered with dim rainbow light when she first escaped the crazy old man who had been looking after her. Now, it seemed to be getting brighter, and the frequencies of the light blinks becoming closer together, and lasting longer.

_It's almost time..._ one of the voices explained. _Soon we will know the final outcome of this existence, and the people of these lands..._

_What do you mean? They will die? Or live? What's happening to me...? I... I just want to go home..._

Kalei's hand went from the gem to the pendant Gary had given Arti.

"I.... I don't want... I dont want any more suffering! NO MORE." Kalei yelled into the night. "I... I just..." Her eyes flashed from rainbow to red, then back to rainbow.

She closed her eyes tightly as if wincing in pain. The gem shined brighter than ever. "I want to go back to Gary!" Arti's voice cried, she looked up into the sky. "I know he's hurting, I.. I remember what happened.... Sereiko... I CAN'T go to him... He wants you... he wants to use you Kaleidoar... Why do you want to go to him...."

She dropped to her knees still staring into the sky. The rainbow gem suddenly shattered sending glowing shards all over the rooftop. Kalei could feel an odd sense around her, something **bad** had just happened, both parts of her knew that, the gem was the soul of Kaleidoar...

She crawled over to where the most of the shards landed, carefully scooping them into her cupped hands. They shone brighter and began to vibrate. She held them out away from her, not knowing what to expect, only her other half had any idea what was happening. The shards suddenly shot off into the air, directly upwards leaving a rainbow light beacon behind in their wake. A dead give away to Kalei's location...

The shards reached the peak of their accent, then exploded into rainbow fireworks lighting the nights skies as if it were daytime. The roughening winds seemed to cease, the only remains a light swirling breeze, with the feeling of being pulled upwards. As the fireworks display cleared, the portal that had brought Kaleidoar to their realm was shining brightly once again.

_5 minutes and counting. Let's see what happens..._

* * *

"Oh... Shit...."

Those were the only words Gary could manage to say, as he, and everyone else on the islands for the mater, witnessed the rainbow explosion coming from the northern part of Articuno Island, very close to where they were. At the time the explosion started he had been riding with Sereiko on Tempest. The whole time having the feeling on a ball in his stomach, being with the two 'things' that lead to his changing into the half arcanine form he was.

"Well, well, it is about time..." Sereiko complained. He gave a light tug on the left part of the bird's crest to signal it to turn to the light source. "Guess this is your stop...."

Before he knew what happened, Gary found himself falling to the ground, a sharp pain in his ribs wher he'd been shoved abruptly. He was dazed by the sudden change from flying to falling but fumbled for his belt attempted to grab a pokeball which would release Pidgeot. It wasnt there.

"Huh??" he looked down to see all the balls from his belt were missing, then remembered. _I took them off when I was waiting for them to read the scrolls... You IDIOT._

Gary closed his eyes, knowning he wouldn't live past the fall. "Arti!" he yelled, a last attempt to keep her from Sereiko. "If you can hear me, RUN, run FAR away, DONT LET HIM GET TO YOU."

The ground was getting near, even with his eyes closed he could feel it closing in on him. "I... never got to ask... her to marry me..." he thought out loud, expecting those to be his last words as her held the case with the ring he'd purchaced long ago.

The sudden jolt that took him by surprise, was oddly not the ground hitting.he could again feel the air passing as if he were flying. And it felt as if someone had caught him by the back of his jacket.

"Marry....?" The voice was Arti's. "Gary-chan..."

His eyes opened and he looked up to see Kalei, the Arti-bird hybrid had somehow moved a very far distance and caught him before he crashed into the ground. Her eyes flashed as they went from red to rainbow.

"Arti..."

An awkward silence followed until they landed on the ground, hiding between town buildings. Kalei folded her wings back and swished her long rainbow tail around beind her. Gary looked her over.

"Please tell me I'm not too late..." Gary looked to the ground, fists clenched at his sides. "You're... you're not suck like that... are you..?"

Kalei cooed a vaguely familiar coo, Gary only ever herd it a few times when Arti was happily cuddled next to him when they were younger, she was cooing to her babies while pregnant.

"That coo? Why...?"

Kalei steped forward and held onto him tightly, when she spoke her voice was the bird. "I... I know my real reason for being summoned now, I feel so dumb for not realizing it. A summoning would not work unless I had a reason to come." she lifted his chin and looked into his eyes. "Sereiko had already been to pallet down before I was summoned... had stolen my summoner's children... she didnt know, but _I_ knew. I knew something had happened to wrong her, but I didnt know what that something was. I didnt understand until... until just when I saved you... I'm... so sorry... Arti allowed me to take control, to save you, and bring back your children."

Gary shoved Kalei back sharply knocking her off her feet onto the ground. "I dont believe it!" he glared down at her. "You stole her from me. The last thing she heard was me saying I'd never be able to ask her to marry, wasnt it? I saw your eyes,_ her _eyes..."

After picking herself off the ground, Kalei looked into Gary's tear filled eyes. she nodded slowly. "It was... she never had time to even think of an answer, her time was up. I have her memories, but, I lack many of her feelings, I cant answer for her."

Gary slammed his fist into the building beside him then rested his forehead against it. He gave up holding his tears back. "I have no one left. You should have let me die, you hateful BIRD. You 'saved' me to tell me the last thing keeping me hoping I can continue is gone."

Kalei began to rach forward to try to comfort him but stopped and stepped backwards. "I have so much to fix... my existance... so much has happened because of me." she folded her arms as if to cover her stomach. "I know I can fix it... I just need time, I dont know how to undo such-" she stopped in mid sentance, pausing. "I know..."

Gary gave a half hearted glare at her, he was too emotionall drained to put much effort. "You can't bring back the dead. You can't un-merge."

"But," she cut in. "I can turn back time..."

He opened his mouth as if to talk but allowed Kalei to finish.

"It's... forbidden for me to do so. I'm not the keeper of times, but I have the ability to change events to make even one change though, impacts _ everything_ that has happened, that will happen, that is happening." She looked to the sky. "It would take me days to find a spot to change, that would not destroy everything that has happened." she paused again, her head tilted to the side "I hear someone..."

Gary twitched an ear, he could hear it too now, wings in the wind. Not just any wings, it was a large bird, a very large bird. A tempest. He pushed Kalei down to the ground, as close to the building as he could to hide her from Sereiko and his bird. They watched silently as Sereiko passed overhead, hoping he didn't spot them hiding in the shadows. They seemed to be in luck as they watched him continue without a second look back.

"We dont have days..." Gary said queitly, listening cafefully in case Sereiko made a return trip. _Maybe he was checking in to see if I lived past the fall?_ "We have hours. Cant you just pick a time and pray it's a good choice?"

"You want to come out of this knowing Arti or not?" Kalei snapped. "Things can't be rushed."

"Well why cant you just turn it all back to before we had that mysterious person telling us to come here, or whatever it was that got us in this hell hole!" Gary stopped as he noticed he was getting gradually louder. He queited his voice once more. "We need to go some place safer, somewhere that we can meet with Sanimi and the others... they might be able to help or offer some solutions..."

Kalei nodded. "I... I guess so." she began to spead her wings but was signaled not to.

"Dont fly, he'll see us, we need to sneak along the ground, he's expecting flight, thats why he's in the air. He hair a clear view of anything flying, expecially with that bright void in the sky."

She refolded her wings and nodded, her heavy rianbow tail swishing lightly as she moved. "We should go to the temple of fire. He wont expect me to go to another island, or if he does he would expect the land of thunder. I know Pyre will be able to help keep us hidden from Sereiko."

Gary held back a rude comment that nearly lashed out. He knew Pyre was after Arti, the last he wanted was him after Kalei too. But who was he to comment? Kalei was another 'person', not his Arti, even if she had a similar look to her.

"If the island ports are unchanged I know the way to the port that can get us a ride to the volcano island." Kalei explained, looking to the south. "Once we're on the island we can easily send message to anyone we need to through the temple's guardians."

Gary sighed, then waved Kalei along. "Lead the way?" he asked, waiting for her to begin their walk.

She smiled lightly, "We'll fix things, I dont know how, but we will."

Forcing a smile Gary replied with a "Geez thanks, get my hopes up now." kind of "chuckle" as she began to lead. As he stepped to follow he kicked something ball like causing it to shoot into the dark. He allowed Kalei to go ahead as he summoned a small fire in the palm of his hand to light where the object had gone to.

A lone pokeball sat wedged between the building wall and a fire-escape style latter. He reached down to pick it up not knowing what was inside. _I'll check later.._ He made a mental note as he attached it to his belt, then jogged off to catch up to Kalei.


	15. Articuno Island Part 15

NOTICE: this "might" be kinda rushed, short, and typo ridden, no spell check option with this hellish laptop and Also I want to finish the story while I can muster the motivations to tell the ending of the tale of Arti and the cast ; I've lost this two times before finishing it, now I have 'free time' after just having had a surgery... ...hopefully this is some deity's way of saying; FINISH!

Articuno Island

Written by Faeore!

Part Fifteen: Finale! Ending of a New Beginning.

Now arriving at the remains of battered, time-worn docks, Kalei swiftly scouted the shoreline for any signs of a boat sturdy enough to travel to the Island of Fire. Gary joined her hunt, constantly reminding her to keep her eyes open for anyone who might see them. At this point he trusted no one, pokemon, human, or hybrid, unless he knew or met them personally.

The light from the shattered gem was still shining brightly where it had been formed in the sky a short while before. The kaleidoscope of colours dancing on the ice and water around the shore's edge.

Kalei finally spotted a worthy boat stored in a small run down building, she began to pull it out, constantly 'ouch-ing' as it would catch on her tail and pull the long feathers, often making her fall back onto her butt. Gary quickly ran to her side once he noticed her discovery. He helped her to her feet and lifted the boat off her tail, she swished the rainbow feathers aside and rubbed her aching butt.

"Thanks..." she sounded only moderately grateful. "I've been too focused on how to fix the problems at hand, I cant focus enough to even use my powers..."

Gary nodded and finished towing the boat to the water on his own, while Kalei looked to see if any paddles were around. She moved boxes, avoiding cobwebs, old moth eaten life jackets and other various boating items. Finally a pair of oars were found sitting in an old boat with holes in the bottom, but the ores were too rotted to be worth the use.

"Guess we improvize?" Gary's voice caused her to jump and turn sharply. She released the gasped breath she'd taken. "Jumpy? Sorry.."

Kalei nodded and quickly walked back outside to where the boat was resting mostly in the water, only one end was resting on shore to keep it from floating away. The on and off silence between herself and Gary was starting to wear on her, that's why she was jumpy, she just wouldn't admit it. The voices in her head, Kaleidoar and Arti, were no longer separate voices. The sound of having another voice had been comforting to her. The voice of the summoner was like a guide to her. She knew she should tell Gary Arti's voice was gone from her, but she thought better of doing that just yet.

She boarded the boat and looked to Gary, he seemed slightly nervous, she realized being fire element hybrid he wouldn't be too fond of the water. He approached and pushed the boat off the shore, and jumped in the moment his feet hit the water. The entire boat shook, Kalei spread her wings to balance it out, the wind pushed against them pushing the boat forward slowly bumping into the ice patches floating around them.

"I think we found our way of propulsion." she said, looking back over her shoulder to where the boat was going. "but if I turn around it'll push us back to the shore, I wont be able to see where we're going. How are we going to clear the ice areas?"

Gary scooted closer to Kalei, the boat rocked making him uneasy. "Let me hold the tips of your wings, I'll give a light tug to signal moving them to avoid the ice."

She nodded and tucked her wings slightly so that he could take the ends. "Just don't rip out the feathers."

The boat bumped into the hot, rocky island, Gary released Kalei's wings and quickly jumped out. He avoided the water as best he could and pulled the boat onto shore. Kalei had attempted to stand before he finished and ended up toppling to her butt onto the seat in the boat, then toppling backwards, feet in the air.

Gary snorted a laugh. He quickly covered his mouth and nose and turned away trying to cover up his amusement at her misfortune. Kalei growled her annoyance, helping herself to her feet and stepping off the boat, feet splashing into the hot water. She lifted the rainbow dress she still wore to above her knees and wrung out the soaked ends. "The temple is that way." she pointed to behind Gary, where a volcano was in the distance.

"Er..." Gary seemed to have a classic 'sweatdrop' moment as he scratched his head looking to the temple's direction. "You know, I just remembered..."

Only Kalei's eyes moved from temple to Gary, her eyebrows began to draw in anger. "Yes?"

"Pyre was on Articuno Island still, why would he come back here?"

Kalei closed her eyes, the words 'you're an IDIOT' screaming in her head, she couldn't decide if they were meant for herself or Gary though. Her mind was still clouded enough that she has overlooked it entirely. As Kaleidoar she had no way to know, as Arti, she just didn't remember, and as Kalei she didn't stop to think, a rather large mistake.

Several minutes passed. She opened her eyes, Gary was now sitting on a rock with a slightly charred stick in hand, drawing in the sand.

"FIRE PILLAR." Kalei yelled.

The ground began to quake, Gary stumbled to his feet and backed off. Rocks began to shake and a pillar of fire shot into the sky, lighting the island almost as brightly as the rainbow skys over Articuno Island now. Kalei waved her hand to cut off the pillar.

"What the hell are you doing!" Gary yelled, fists at his sides, tail bottle brushed. "We just spent all that time escaping and you just gave away our location?"

Kalei nodded. "But, realize this gives them all equal chance to get here at the same time. I just came up with an alternate plan..."

Sereiko's head snapped around so quick it looked as if it was going to pop off his shoulders. The sight of the fire immediately caught his attention, and the Tempest he was still riding on. The bird stopped suddenly, wings flapping madly to hold its position in air.

Sereiko's eyes were locked, not even blinking, on the spot the fire had erupted. "Remember that spot." he said indirectly to Tempest, knowing the bird could see what he could. "We have something to attend to before we go meet _my destiny_."

Sanimi, Voltage, and now Pyre had finally found each other. They had seen the rainbow void and all ran to it expecting to meet with everyone else, only to find Arti/Kalei, Gary and Sereiko nowhere to be found.

"What to do now?" Pyre sighed. He folded his arm and looked up into the rainbow glow. "Does this mean Sereiko has her?"

Voltage leaned against the wall of a building near by and shook his head. "No." There was a pause. He inhaled sharply then slowly released it. "But, it does mean Kaleidoar has taken the summoner, and her reason for summoning is coming to an end."

Silence fell over the group. Sanimi's hands were clenched in fists at his sides. "If I can't have my daughter back from that creature, then I'm going to have my revenge at least." His eye focused on Pyre, "You." then to Voltage. "And you. The pair of you are responsible, and the others who did the summoning too, Raine, Koua, whoever else..."

Electricity began to fill the air. As Sanimi's rage grew so did the frequency of the electric zaps struck the ground around the three. "Things like this remind me of reasons I left so long ago. Selfish, elitest, immoral, greed driven actions, all to better your own lives; to get what you want. Power, corrupted everything the original protectors of the birds stood for. Purity of blood has just made your egos grow larger each generation."

Lightning grew brighter, a large boom of thunder caused Pyre and Voltage to cover their ears and fall back to avoid the crackling electricity in the air.

Pyre winced as he was shocked. He fell to his knees, but noticed something odd in the skies. "Wait..." He tried to focus on the red glow in the distance. "Fire..." He pointed to the island of fire.

Another large wave of electricity passed, narrowly missing Pyre. Voltage screamed in pain, his plea for Sanimi to stop filled the air before he fell to the ground unconscious.

"STOP IT." a female voice yelled out from above. "Sanimi, rijoun. No."

Sanimi's eyes grew wide, the energy in the air halted immediately. He looked above, his fists relaxed all anger left his body. "How..."

Pyre allowed himself to fall to the ground and rolled onto his back, he looked to where Sanimi was looking. He thought his eyes must have been playing tricks on him. A female figure, impossible to tell her details because of light coming from behind her shadowing her face. She seemed familiar, but Pyre's blured vision made it hard for him to tell. He focused, straining as hard as he could to make out any detailed. Wings of Articuno... "Arti..." he groaned before he fell unconscious.

Kalei sat with her legs crossed, hovering in the air. "Soon." she said, staring at the rainbow void in the distance. "So many things are happening so fast, so many realizations... My powers are coming back and resyncing." She folded and unfolded her hands in anticipation of something that was coming.

Gary was now sitting on a rock a far distance from Kalei, he knew something was wrong. Kalei was acting as if she had multiple personality disorder, one moment she would be acting as if Arti were her personality, then the next she sounded evil. Controlling. Wanting to destroy something. Her eyes looked as if they were no longer rainbow, but alternating colours, each of the rainbow. It was almost as if each colour unlocked another personality.

At least Fifteen minutes had passed since she set off the flare, and there was still no sign of anyone coming yet. Gary was almost thinking she had used some kind of an illusion, or psychic trick on him. Kalei's mental state was so questionable he didn't know what to assume anymore.

"I knew it..." Kalei said to herself, rocking back and forth, eyes wide. "Something isn't right..."

Gary was beginning to worry, he stood and stepped towards Kalei, she suddenly 'stood up' as well, still in the air. Her wings spread out and she looked fully alert, watching something in the sky that Gary just couldn't see.

"Kal-" Gary found himself on his back in an instant, the wind force from Kalei's wings threw him backwards, nearly into the water. She shot into the air leaving rainbow glitter glowing behind her as she flew directly upward. "What the hell is she doing now..."

Sanimi found himself walking towards the icy chill of the person standing before him, without even realizing he was doing it. "H-how..." he reached out and placed a hand on her cheek. "Isashi..."

He looked over her from head to toe, despite the change he knew it was her. Her dark brown hair and eyes were now midnight blue and crimson red respectively. Her skin was cold like ice, Sanimi was in pain to touch her but he was so numbed by the shock of seeing her, he ignored the pain. His eyes wandered over to her wings, then down to her tail swishing about behind her.

She reached up and removed his hand from her cheek, holding his hand in her own and a short time before pushing him back. "I'm not the Isashi you know."

Sanimi's reaction didn't change he was still in a stupor as he stared into her eyes.

"I died when you thought I had, but Sereiko made me... He wanted to use me for the summoning, but my body is souless. Cold and dead. You can feel it cant you? His last resort was to get Arti here, to use her. He demanded my help. He failed though, I refused to listen to him, he thought he could warp me, make me do what he wanted." She seemed to be nervous talking faster now. "We need to go, I've been watching what's been happening."

She pulled on Sanimi's arm, trying to pull him along, "We need to go, we need to get to Arti."

Sanimi jerked his arm away. He stepped back looking over her again. "Arti?" he asked, defiance in his voice. "Why do you call her Arti?"

Isashi looked surprised. "Arti, our daughter, Sanimi are you okay? What do you mean why do I call her that?"

"You're not Isashi..."

Isashi's eyes grew angry. A light passed over 'her' and revealed Sereiko. "How did you know?" he demanded, his small fairylike wings and antennae twitching in rage. "You were convinced so quickly."

"Isashi calls my daughter Dees." Sanimi coldly replied. "and I don't appreciate you posing as my dead wife."

Another bolt of lightning flew from the sky, striking Sereiko, but not injuring him. His antennae were sticking straight into the air acting like lightning rods. Small sparks still flicked in between the antennae as the electricity dispersed out into the air and ground.

"I'll have to try harder, next time..." Sereiko smirked. "As will you." he raised a hand, the ground began to quake. "Rock Throw."

A large boulder-like rock formed from the ground between Sanimi and Sereiko. Sanimi attempted to fly into the air for better chance to dodge the attack but was too later, the rock shot through the air into his direction knocking him onto his back. The rock pinned his leg down into the ground.

Sereiko looked back to the unconscious Pyre and Voltage, then back to the incapacitated Sanimi. "Excuse me now, I have business to attend to with the rainbow one." He bowed deeply, then jumped into the air. Tempest swept down catching him on its back.

Gary sighed heavily, now laying in the sand staring at the sky. _Why did we even bother with a boat if she can fly_? a voice groaned at the back of his head. _Maybe she just is playing with me. Nothing is making sense anymore._

He sat up slightly, leaning on his elbows. He looked out over the water where Kalei had flown away. A rainbow trail was still glowing brightly along the path she'd flown, though she wasnt very far off yet. "Well that might explain why we didn't fly..." he said to himself with an eyebrow raised. _She's a glowing beacon to whoever wants her now. Stupid bird._

Gary up righted himself and looked to the boat. He wasn't fond of the idea of trying to get back to the other island by that shifty craft. He no longer had Kalei's wings to act as sails so he'd be caught adrift even if he did board it and shove off. _I can't even call pid-_

His train of thought just crashed into a cow on the rail. His pokemon had been left behind but he had picked up a pokeball not too long before running off with Kalei. His hand quickly went to his belt where he placed it and removed the ball, clicking the button to return it to regular size. Though it wasn't red and white like most, it was blue and silver, it was still a pokeball. He had no idea what was inside, if it would listen to him if he even summoned it. The thought that it could be a trick was lingering in his mind as well.

_Nothing left to lose. Everything that was my life is gone._

With a swift flick, he threw the ball into the air and stepped back to see what, if anything, would come from it. The ball landed in the sand and cracked open, a flash of energy escaped.

There was definitely something inside.

The few seconds it took for the monster to materialize felt like an eternity as Gary's stomach churned with an uneasiness.

"Oh.. my.. god... Of all the things to have picked up... you..."

Silvery blue energy was still surrounding the monster. It cooed and strutted around stretching its legs before facing Gary with a puzzled yet cocky look. It was clearly unimpressed with who it saw.

He could understand why the bird gave him such a dirty look. He was probably gaping at it with his mouth open. His brain was too numb to know what his body was doing.

Arti's very own articuno was looking him in the eyes.

He didn't know how, he didn't know why it was in a ball, but he had a feeling what was left of Arti in Kalei had given him a sign by making sure he possessed it.

Kalei's mindset had once again shifted. The swirling vortex was calling to her, yet she felt as something was incomplete. Something had to be done before she was allowed to enter it. She just didn't know what

_There's nothing for me to do, I don't understand why I was summoned. For some sick man to use as his own? I don't work as that._

She drifted slowly along the airways. She was gliding along the icy waters of Articuno Island now, but she couldn't remember why she had left Gary behind. It was like someone was interfering with her judgments, but it wasn't the summoner, or the bird-form she once had.

_I've never experienced this before... Each summoning I always know what I'm supposed to do... Why is this one so hard? The islands have no threat. If I'm gone then the crazed man will leave?_

A feeling of inner sorrow passed over her, she looked to the water, watching her reflection on the rainbow lit ice. "The necklace..."

Her hand reached up to Arti's half of Gary's ying yang pendant. "She wants me to help him, to help her family?" She paused. "No... More than that... She wants me to change it all, to rid the suffering of the island's past, or the pokemon who have been killed in experimental merging here."

She landed on the ice kneeling down to watch her own reflection. Her hand smoothed the rough ice making it as perfect as a mirror. "So Sereiko does have to die? Or maybe, no... If I end the root if the problem, then no one has to die."

She looked to the sky, she knew people were on there way. Her rainbow eyes were no longer changing colour. They remained as they had been whenever she was in control of her powers and mind.

_Sereiko is still trying to catch me, but I understand now. I understand it all. I know what I must do. If he's fool enough to try to stop me from going to the vortex he will no live to experience The Change that must come._

She spread her wings and pushed down on the ice float with all her might. the force of her wind form her wings and strength in her legs shattered the ice and sprayed a column of water into the air. Her flight was far faster now, incomparable by any other pokemon's speed. If there were people below, all they would see if a rainbow, as if the sun were out after a rainy day.

Sereiko was in her path, she could see him but took no heed. She could feel her powers at their peak now that she understood what to do. They unlocked as soon as her summoners message was understood. He was too late to attempt to capture her, nothing on the realm of the living, the dead, or the spirits would be able to control her now.

She flew directly through anything in her path, phasing through it as if it simply didn't exist. Buildings, people, pokemon, trees, nothing would stop her. She passed a dazed and enraged Sereiko. It appeared as if he'd just finished assaulting the people Arti cared about and was about to resume the hunt for Kalei. The sight of the injured didn't stop her, she knew everything would be alright soon.

"She's too strong now." Sereiko huffed, infuriated.

He ripped a patch of Tempest's feathers from its crest in a fit of rage. It shreiked and threw its head around, wings flapping wildly. The bird's noises added to Sereiko's fury. He reached for its neck, strangling it until he felt the boned crushing between his fingers. The sounds of agony and pleaing from the dying bird were the only thing soothing his rage. He felt the air flowing upwards, as they began to fall to the ground. He removed his hands from the now dead pokemon's neck and released his own stubby farie wings. The fluttered keeping him aloft while the motionless corpse struck the ground.

He looked to the blood on his hands, an evil smile passing his twisted face. "Soon your blood will be mine too, Kaleidoar."

An icy rustling wind blew by. He swiftly jerked his head around to see the source, an articuno. That wasn't so odd, seeing one flying around the island was normal. The direction it was going and who it was carrying though was a problem. It was heading to the vortex carrying Gary Oak.

"Perhaps I've found an appetizer... Before the main course."

Sereiko's wings buzzed as they flitted faster, he followed behind articuno and Gary. His own wings were making for a much slower flight than he became acustomed with, from riding Tempest. But it was also a lot quieter than the noisy bird, so he was able to follow undetected.

They approached the building below the center of the vortex. He hung back, Gary had enough of a speed advantage on articuno that he was able to out fly Sereiko, even though Gary never even knew he was back there.

The celebi hybrid watched closely over Kalei. She was in the center of the light writing something on the building tops. The entire building was covered in ancient writing now that he looked at it. It appeared as if she was nearly finished some type of incantation. The words were faintly glowing the familiar rainbow colours, in sync with the lights shining from above.

Gary was rushing up towards her but something made him stop. Sereiko listened closely, he could hear the articuno trying to warn him about something. However he couldn't make out what the bird was saying. He simply continued to watch. Gary's hand outstretched slowly toward Kalei, as if testing something. A large gust of wind forced him backwards, tumbling to a short distance away from the building's edge.

Sereiko assumed this was what articuno was warning about. If Gary would have rushed in the opposing force would have thrust him over the building's side. This could be something useful if Sereiko could come up with a plan to stop whatever the Kalei Doar was doing. The first matter was ridding himself of Gary.

He flew to behind Gary, keeping a close eye on his target and the articuno. The bird's eyes were fixed on its transformed master, so it was little threat.

Gary was sitting, recovering from the blast of air. He leaned on his left arm and rubbed his head with his right hand. "That was a bit more than I expected for a tap..." he groaned

Sereiko slowly reached around to Gary's pokeball belt. He carefully pulled the ball which was articuno's off the belt then flew backwards avoiding any detection. Gary groaned and stood up, dusting himself off. He had no idea what was happening.

This was definitely articuno's ball, sereiko recognized the traditional colours for the nakido pokeballs designed for articunos. He swooped behind the bird and tapped it on the head with the ball. the bewildered bird squawked, alerting Gary someone was around, but it was too late for it to do anything else. The pokeball absorbed it and was placed in Sereiko's pocket.

"Looks like we're on even ground now, one on one." the combined expression of dumbfoundedness and anger on Gary's face made Sereiko laugh. "Though there is the matter of quite a long drop if you fall, I'm sure that wouldn't be too pleasant of an experience..."

He moved aside easily from Gary's angry, reckless fire blast and continued to taunt. "..Oh I forgot, you're still mad at me over your precious offspring aren't you? Poor little boys..."

"SHUT UP." Gary yelled, a circle of fire was growing around his feet. His rage from seeing the man who destroyed everything for him seemed to remove any other thought from his mind. "I'm going to make you pay... You wont WANT to know what hit you when I-"

Sereiko blinked. Gary had vanished into thin air. Not even the flames remained on the scorched ground where he had been standing. His eyes moved to Kalei's last location. She was standing now with Gary behind her. Her rainbow eyes were locked into Sereiko's, sending a chill down his spine like he'd never felt before.

"It is time." she said calmly.

She extended a hand towards Sereiko. He could feel himself being pulled towards her by an invisible, psychic force. Much stronger than he could possibly resist.

"Do you wish to be reborn and do good, or do I end your life here."

The statement, not a question, added to the chill he was feeling. Her power was looming over him, he eyes drilling into his core. He didn't understand... "...Rebirth?"

Kalei slowly nodded, Gary to seemed confused but not questioning her actions. Be it fear or respect, Sereiko didn't know or care. "I'm restarting the world." she explained, and pointed to the growing void above them. It was expanding to take over more than just the small portion of the island, it was covering the entire globe at the rate it was expanding.

"Too many things have happened. Too much suffering, from pokemon and humans alike. 'Hybrids', they are the root of the problem. Nature was never meant to be toyed with like many humans have done. Be it by accident, such has that of Prussian, or by fault of evil, such as you have done to yourself... and the man my summoner loves."

He was thrust to his knees before her, she stepped closer and placed a hand on his chin to hold his head in place as she looked closer. "Do I erase you? Or do you learn to stop the abuse? You learned of these transformations from Prussian, which will no longer have happened once I'm done. However, I don't trust you. If you give me your binding word though, I will be able to cleanse your mind and soul when you're rebirthed, rid you of all evil and be sure you won't cause this pain again. To anyone."

Sereiko's mind blanked. _She's going to kill me? And make me 'good'? But... Then I wouldn't be myself, I would be someone else?_

Kalei's voice interrupted his thoughts_, No, you'd be the man you were before you were driven to such lengths, I can feel now why you wanted me. You wanted to change time too. You wanted to make things right for **your** family, but the thoughts of power made you divert from that path. Have you truly forgotten..._

"I..." Sereiko's eyes glazed over. "I wanted to cure her..."

Memories of his wife resurfaced, memories long since lost.

He was younger, newly married, only a few months had passed. His wife was laying in bed, doctors all around her. He too was a doctor, but unable to cure her. She had a disease no one had ever heard of before... Something she contracted while traveling with him. Something from a wild pokemon in the mountains... Another of the doctors was also a pokemon expert, he couldn't remember the name. An older man from... a small town... It was a colour-related name... _Pallet? Yes Pallet town... It was Professor Oak...? He told me the pokemon who gave her the disease was immune to its own venom..._

"...I had hope if I could find the pokemon who poisoned her.. I could make a cure. But it only made it worse."

He flashed back to the last few days of her life. His last attempt to save her. To MAKE her part of the pokemon in hopes of it immunizing her. He studied information gathered from an accident that happened long before in Prussian, hoping he could work with the information the labs had managed to preserve and record...

"...I failed her. She died to my hands. She begged me not to do it, but I told her I could cure her... I knew I could... But, I didn't."

His eyes, which had been filling with tears, looked to Gary. "Despite knowing the pain I was brining onto you... I didn't care. I felt as though you should feel it too, the whole world should feel it."

"Isn't that everyone's excuse..." Gary muttered under his breath. "But... What happens to everyone else? Where do we go? do we even know we 'rebirth'?"

Kalei shook her head in response to Gary, but remained focused how she had been. "I'll explain to you in a moment. But I require a promise from Sereiko before I wish to speak to you..." She paused a moment. "So, will you allow me to purify you for rebirth? I do not wish to end your life. Your wife too will be rebirthed but I can not grantee you will know her in the newly created timeline."

"I agree... Even if the chance is slim I'll have her... She will be safe, and happy." Sereiko nodded. He felt his body go limp as a wave of rainbow passed over him. He slipped into unconsciousness with thoughts of having his wife with him once again.

Gary's heart stopped at some of the words that Kalei spoke. "I can not gauntee you will know her..." he repeated, eyes clouding. "But, does this mean I might no know Arti either?"

Kalei finished watching Sereiko fade away then looked to Gary. Her eyes were soft and inviting, she looked like Arti. "If you have a strong bond in this life, you will find each other in the next." She explained. "I can feel how much she cares for you. But I can't say for certain you will meet. Though even if you do meet, there's a chance something will occur that will make you not want to be together. Unless a memory of this life is kept somehow."

Gary's heart sank even deeper into his stomach. He reached into his pocket where the ring he'd been carrying with him for so long was tucked away. "I didn't even get to ask her..." his voice was no more than a whisper as tears fell from his cheeks.

Her hand touched in his chin making him raise his gaze to meet hers, "Arti..."

Her bright red eyes were brown, and her blue hair blond, but it was definitely her. She smiled widely and placed one hand around her necklace with half of his pendant, and the other hand around the one he was wearing.

_"You're like the part of me I never knew existed until we met."_ She said repeating the most touching thing he'd ever said to her.

_"Take this and keep it with you, I'll have the other half, if by chance something ever happens to either of us, I'll never be whole again... Half of me will be gone."_ Gary finished what she began. his hands closed around hers with the ring in his hand which clasped her pendant. "Will you marry me, Arti?"

He could feel a fuzzy warmth passing through him as the surroundings were vanishing. His eyes began to close as consciousness slipped away. He knew they wouldn't be able to marry in this life time, but the answer was all he needed to know before everything was gone.

_I will..._

_Finally..._

Gary stretched his arms over his head, the sight of a pokemon gym was a welcome relief. He'd been cycling for days now it felt like. He knew there was a town near the cycling road but he wasn't sure where it was exactly since it wasn't marked on his map. It caused some unfortunate delays after being told by other trainers what way they 'thought' it was, only to lead him on a wild goose chase.

Even though the badge from the gym would make 9 for the league, he felt compelled to come to it for some reason. He knew it was a gym most people avoided, rumors about the gym leader, Isashi, being the strongest pokemon trainers of the Indigo League. He knew he wouldn't be able to ride a bike through the tall grasses that were between him and the gym. He dismounted and began to push his way along. the task was more difficult than he thought it would be. the spokes of the bike were entangled in the grass, causing him to sigh and give up. At least it was well covered so no one would see it and steal it. He'd pick it up after he finished with his gym battle.

_I'm going to need a nap before the battle at this rate, this grass is a bitch to walk in..._ Gary groaned as he was nearing the last of his hike across the field. He felt his foot slip out from under him, a hole in the ground threw him off balance. He put his hands n front of himself to catch his balance, but it wasn't working, he closed his eyes hoping he at least didn't break anything, but the landing was much softer than his anticipated.

"Ooww..."

_That wasn't me... and pokemon don't say ow...?_

His hand was shielding his face form whateve rhe landed on, but something was in his hand, something... soft? He squeezed it lightly. Definitely soft... He opened his eyes slowly, one at a time. All colour drained from his face and was quickly replaced with a burning blush. His hand was clasped onto a young female trainer's chest. He expected her to be beating him over the head, but her expression was matching his own, confused, embarrassed, and dumbfounded.

Her large brown eyes stared at him a moment before her face contorted into anger. She shoved him off her and retied her long blond hair back behind her head. "Pervert..." she growled under her breath, her eyes were still locked on him.

Her angry staring as she fussed with her hair was a better outcome than he expected. His own eyes were wandering though. He found her rather appealing but something caught his eye. A pendant handing around her neck looked like the missing half of one he had.

"Why don't you just take another grab..." she sighed as she stood up and dusted herself off. "your eyes are fixed on them, they're not that distracting are they?"

Gary's mouth opened to reply but his words wouldn't come out. She turned to walk away, he had to say something.

"W- wait!" he finally called out. He too stumped to his feet to chase her.

"What..." she coldly asked, now her glare looked as though it would melt a steel type pokemon instantly.

"Yo-Your pendant." Gary tried to explain. He reached inside his shirt to show his half which had been hidden. "How did-"

"How did you get that...?" she cut him off looking at it. Her coldness died instantly. "My father gave me my half and told me..."

"_I'll never be whole again..."_ Gary began.

_"Half of me will be gone..." _She continued.

_"Until I reuinite the missing half..."_

There eyes licked, the only sounds was the gentle breeze passing through the grass around them. The broke the silence at the same time.

"...Do I know you...?"


End file.
